Greenpoint Trading Co.

Brooklyn, New York

When you walk through the door of Greenpoint Trading Co.’s nondescript warehouse on an anonymous street in Brooklyn, the first thing that hits you is the smell. It’s a pungent and rich, even mouth-wateringly meaty, mixture of paprika and coriander and garlic and more. The scents immediately transport you from the “Breaking Bad”-like setting – commercial mixers, industrial metal tubs, even a three-wheeled forklift – to a festive bar-b-que on a hot summer day.

Founders Kimmee Arndt and Evan Hoffman began blending last year, with creative offerings for a relatively staid spice market.

“We love coming up with new blends – taking typical seasonings and changing them up to make them our own,” explains Arndt.

Flavors are intentionally reminiscent of the couple’s experiences; the all-purpose BBQ rub Black Bear, for example, was named after a campsite in New York’s Catskill Mountains and is designed to complement a full range of fire-friendly meals.Greenpoint Trading Co. products are all preservative- and additive-free.

Hoffman, a veteran of the spice market, is constantly experimenting with new combinations, creating small batches of seasonings and rubs for friends and family. With samples arriving regularly, the possibilities are endless.

Greenpoint Trading Co. is also exploring innovative ways to use conventional seasonings and rubs. “We’re trying to educate our customers to reinvent the way they use spice,” Hoffman says. “What if you ground T-Bone in a pepper mill or mixed it in a mortar?

What if you tried All Aboard on something other than fish, or sprinkled some Black Bear on scrambled eggs?”

While blending is their passion, Arndt and Hoffman help cover costs by selling spices in bulk to food manufacturers and restaurants around the tri-state area. The couple has parlayed their knowledge of spice importers and suppliers to build a small-scale distribution business focused on impeccable customer service and friendly pricing.

As Greenpoint Trading Co.’s unique blends gain prominence in the foodie marketplace, Arndt and Hoffman may soon find their specialty business outweighing their bulk sales. No matter which angle of growth they follow, Greenpoint Trading Co. is quickly earning its place in the world of condiments. “There’s tons of spice companies out there,” concedes Arndt, “but there’s even more people in need of spice.”