Become a member and enjoy the very best from The American Conservative in print & digital. Hes finding out thats not necessarily the case. Once ground, sifted, extracted, mixed or bottled, the spices will be packaged for online sales or sent to more than 60 stores around the country. Work was meditation for Penzey, who found plenty of both as he ground and mixed his spice blends, always by hand. Penzey did not immediately return a request for an interview with UpNorthNews. that take a positionany positionon major political issues, and that presidency of the United States of Americawent viral, earning coverage everywhere from USA Today to Fox News. The kindness of tens of thousands of generations of cooks created our humanity, but racism, sexism, and homophobia can all very quickly unravel all the goodness cooking puts out into the world. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Penzeys Spices CEO calls Republican voters '#1 threat to this country After the 2016 election, Penzey sent an email blast to customers, saying if they voted for Trump they had just committed the biggest act of racism in American history since Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway 53 years ago, referring to the segregationist Alabama Gov. The spice trade invented capitalism, it invented the stock market, it pushed people to venture into interacting with other cultures before they were ready to interact with other cultures, Penzey said. The Spice House company is Penzys primary competition. No, I didnt vote for Trump, but as far as Im concerned, I would like for Bill Penzey to assume that I did. You really are a good bunch, but you just committed the biggest act of racism in American history since Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway 53 years ago. He came in second only to Trump himself, who spent over $700,000 in pro-Trump advertising. This page was last edited on 15 April 2023, at 12:26. "What a bunch of racists. Im just here for the spices.. And it's spent millions of dollars on politics. think if you dont care about your customers and what they care about, The company's origin dates back to 1986 as a catalog business that expanded to include brick-and-mortar locations in 1994 . Although it reached a peak of 67 retail locations in 2012, the COVID-19 pandemic led to some permanent store closures, which left the company with 53 locations. Feel free to let Penzey Spice Co. CEO know how you feel about his Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. reaching out to conservative bloggers, sharing a special offer for Im giving thanks to everyone who stands up to remain honest, caring, loving, merciful, and humane in these difficult days.. - Bill Jr, her younger brother, started his own catalog company, Penzeys. While the country drowns in Democratic hypocrisy on everything ranging from the open border to the economy to crime and the collapsing stability of the international order, theres something about how tightly unhinged leftists hang on to their hate. Encouraging people to choose love and kindness. Feinstein has vowed to return to Washington, but what happens if she doesnt? That same year, Penzey sent gift boxes of spices to every teacher and support worker in Milwaukees schools including a new blend called Forward as then-Gov. radio-listening customers, but if you really are honest and sincere, Subscribe for as little as $5/mo to start commenting on Rods blog. Over the years, Penzey expressed his dismay at, among Ethan Duran My husband and I are very careful to Market Realist is a registered trademark. I can tell you, however, Mr. Dreher reported as an update after his 2016 article on Penzeys had posted: The Spice House folks have kindly written to invite this blogs readers to become new customers , Thats the way to run a business. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. If you are lucky and younger family members are still coming over for Thanksgiving, before its too late, take a moment and honestly think about how your actions must look through their eyes. Other promotions and commentary have supported issues like truth in science and praising Democratic election victories. Somewhat ironic considering Kings message of hope and unity. Before Penzey Jr.'s politics put him in the national spotlight, his collection of hard to find herbs and spices gained a sizable following with home cooks across the country. You didnt want to go there, because the guy couldnt stand kids, and you felt that he was constantly hovering over you judging you for failing to live up to his extremely particular standards. Penzeys Insider Says CEO's Left-Wing Rants are Hurting Company I have no idea what the Erds politics are far as I know, they could be commies, or they could be Trumpkins but they dont seem to make a habit of getting on their high horse and insulting their customers. His rage moves into an area that crime shows call overkill, indicating something more personal is at issue. the people a better choice. The recipients werent Penzeys Spices CEO Bill Penzey declared the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend "Republicans are racist weekend.". stage, the Spice House, another Wisconsin-based retailer, posted a These lies are news?. But all of this pales to his reaction to Trump. Nothing tastes better on pork loin or roasted turkey than that stuff. Penzey Jr.'s decision to mix politics with the spice business has received a good deal of press (though not all positive). Bill and Ruth opened their transition-into-retirement store at 1244 N. Glenview Ave. in Wauwatosa. Penzeys Spices actions have included nearly unlimited spending in politics for years now, racking up $2.4 million in paid Facebook posts and more than $100,000 in just the past few weeks alone, making the company the second largest political spender on the issue in America. Price: $4.49 for a 4-ounce bag. William Penzey Obituary (2010) - New Berlin, WI - Legacy.com My mother introduced me to them probably eight years ago, said Melinda Barnett, a Republican from Owatonna, Minn., who was among conservatives calling for a boycott of Penzeys on Twitter last month. News/Talk 1130 WISN, Milwaukee's Talk Station, Mark Belling, Jay Weber, Dan O'Donnell, Vicki McKenna, the official Penzey's Spices Facebook page posted on January 16, 2017, post on the Penzey's Spices page on June 20, 2017, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A Penzeys Spices insider says founder and CEO Bill Penzey's frequent left-wing rants in emails to customers have lost the company more than half of its retail business over the past five years. Im by no means perfect but seriously no, I wouldnt, said Penzey, the owner of the Wauwatosa-based spice company that has locations across the country, including Kenosha. replenishing inventory. boycott the company, going so far as to mock up a satirical jar of political outrage of the Trump era and social medias way of amplifying Feb 1, 2022. William T. Penzey Sr., founder of The Spice House, with his granddaughter Teddi and a big bowl of cinnamon sugar, during trick-or-treat time in 2009 at the familys store in Wauwatosa. His views are his views. [9], On January 14, 2022, CEO Bill Penzey sent out an email newsletter announcing that he would be renaming the extended Martin Luther King Jr. Day sale weekend to "Republicans are racist weekend", with the reasons given including alleged voter suppression in red states and their response to the George Floyd Protests. He tries to pay attention all the time to details, and to develop his life. As youngsters, his children were expected to help at the store - there was no such thing as an automatic allowance - something that wasn't always appreciated back then. The couple brought their son Bill Jr. into the business early, allowing him to work in the store at the young age of ten. If you live in one of the states at ground zero to this money's impact, you know it's not a coincidence that each of our nation's institutions that work for positive outcomes for all Americans have simultaneously come under attack. [11] Penzey made a similar statement in an email sent out on the first anniversary of the January 6th Capitol riot, calling Republicans the "#1 threat to this country".[12]. He said he wanted "to anger Republicans.". He worked so hard to keep family together, because of the way he grew up.". "Remember how Republicans, going against a mountain of evidence to the contrary, once again lied and said BLM wasn't a peaceful movement but instead terrorists inciting violence throughout the country and then raced out to buy a crapload of guns because maybe they were finally going to get their chance to shoot a Black person?"