Vanns Spices, Baltimore, Maryland

"Hands down, Vanns is the best spice company in the U.S.A.," says Jesse Sartain, Nutritional Director of Chefs in America and Chairman of the American Tasting Institute in San Francisco, California. Founded by Ann Wilder in Baltimore, MD in 1981, Vanns was the product of a frustrated hobby cook who loved Indian cuisine but could not readily find the high quality spice blend needed to make Tandoori. So, she created it. In the process, she discovered the best spice growers in the world and developed a thriving business. 

TEA

Honest Tea, Bethesda, Maryland
Honest Tea was founded in 1997 by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, one of Goldman's business school professors. Honest Tea has applied its passion for social responsibility to initiatives in the environment and to creating partnerships with the growers, cultures, and communities behind the teas.

HONEY

Beehive Beeproducts, New York, New York

By promoting the work of artisanal beekeepers (specifically harvesting varietal honeys), it is Beehive's hope that honey will take its place as the unusual, complex food that it is. Every honey is as unique as its floral source - it can be compared to wine, tea, and coffee in its variety and complexity. As both distinction and quality are becoming a rarity in our culture, Beehive's goal is to make high-quality, varietal honeys more readily available to consumers everywhere.