From Harvest — to Pinch — to Your Kitchen!

Did you know most spices are sold YEARS after they’re harvested?! Not ours!

With Pinch you’re getting the freshest, most delicious spices right after harvest.

We Only Source the Highest Quality Organic Spices

When it comes to spices, quality matters. And so does organic certification.

We believe in offering only the highest quality organic spices, sourced ethically from trusted farmers. For us, fair-trade is not just a bumper sticker. It’s about stopping child labor and poverty in the spice trade, and supporting organic spice farmers who keep our kitchens flavorful.

We personally know and have visited many of the farmers who grow the herbs and spices you’ll find in our products. We’ve seen first-hand how fair and direct-trade fuels the production of the highest quality spices and helps farming communities thrive in the United States and beyond.

Whether you’re preparing an Instagram-worthy dinner party, or just flavoring up your favorite canned soup for a weekday lunch, when you’re using Pinch spices, you’re not only adding amazing flavor, you’re supporting farming families around the world too.

A Spicy Story – How Pinch Was Born

Pinch Spice Market was born in 2012 after Founder Thomas “Shoebocks” McGee left his 9-to-5 job and followed his passion for cooking and exploring global flavors.

His curiosity with food began at an early age thanks to his mother. She developed an appetite for international fare when she lived in South Africa as a child. Later, as a single mom raising three kids on a social worker’s salary, she wasn’t able to take her kids globe-trekking to explore cultures and new dishes, but she would hunt down authentic restaurants and treat them to tastes from around the world (which wasn’t an easy feat when you lived in upstate New York in the 80s).

Thomas was floored by how much cuisine varied depending on where you lived, and intrigued by all the flavors the Earth provides. He wanted to learn, see and taste it all. He would come home from those special dinners and teach himself how to recreate them, breaking down the ingredients so he could build them back up into a homemade meal.

He still does that reverse engineering of dishes today, and it drives him to source and create the best tasting, highest quality organic spices on the planet.

In 2019 his life partner, Meaghan Thomas, became his business partner too. After years of benefiting from Thomas’ cooking and Pinch’s infinite bounty, Meaghan left her executive marketing job to join Pinch full time. Together, they work to get high-quality, affordable organic spices into more kitchens and help support farming communities around the globe.

Meet the Team

Thomas & Meaghan

Thomas (co owner, founder) and Meaghan (co owner, president) are partners in life, and in spice.

Thomas grew up in upstate New York, spending many of his days at the local dojo practicing karate, and nights teaching himself how to cook. After graduating high school, he went to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia for a business degree (and lots of surfing).

After graduating around the dawn of the millennium, he landed a job in Chicago as a research analyst. Over the next decade he continued his culinary exploration, experimenting with making BBQ blends, baking and delighting his friends and family with global meals made from scratch. In 2012, he leapt into the spice trade and has never looked back.

Meaghan grew up in Chicago and its suburbs, spending most of her childhood bouncing between juvenile jail or bizarre child reform institutions. It’s a whole story, and she’s an open book about it.

Thanks to the help of others, she eventually got her GED and went to college for journalism. After a brief but beloved stint as a reporter, she fell into digital marketing at the right moment when no one really knew what it was, and was able to convince a start up to hire her. She spent the next 15 years in online marketing before she jumped into Pinch full-time with Thomas.

When Thomas and Meaghan are not in the Louisville spice factory, they’re probably cooking, riding bikes, metal detecting, exploring new restaurants, volunteering in animal rescue or outreach for people who are unhoused, dreaming about their next travel adventure or cuddled up with one of their rescue pups (Pepper, Briscoe & Dino) and a foster dog or three.

Randy Smith, Operations Manager

Meals Bring Us Together & That’s What We’re About

Spices are a big part of what makes our recipes and meals special. Good food brings us closer to the people around our tables, and it connects us to cultures near and far. Meals go beyond just nourishing our bodies, they nourish our hearts and spirits too.

Thank you for letting us into your kitchen, which we all know is the heart of every home. We’re honored and thrilled to share the best spices in the world with you.

Questions? Visit our FAQs or contact us here.