Handmade with Love Is Spicing Things Up!
Gifts for haute hosting & toasting. Shop spice sets for upcoming gatherings. These are our favorite new gift for almost everyone on your list!
From my kitchen to yours... I am thrilled to announce the launch of a new collection that I have had the pleasure of enjoying with friends and family over many delicious meals. Introducing our stylish new Spice Gift Sets, plus a Gin Infusion Set for those craft cocktail lovers! These unique box sets have brought me many memories, joy, and charming compliments, and it's such a delight to share them now with you, so you can share them with your loved ones.
I first purchased some of these beautiful spice boxes a few years ago on the way home from a work trip to South Africa. At the time, I didn't consider being able to offer them at kanju, since we'd never tried anything food related, and it seemed like a separate space. My feelings and thoughts have since evolved, especially during the last two years. More than ever, I now think of home not as a space, but as a living extension of our lives and who we are... a place not only to keep our things, but where we live our lives, make our memories, and experience our most precious moments. Home is our haven, our space of comfort, our personal canvas, and our playground. Home is a place to create and thrive.... and what space could be a more true representation of that than our kitchens, the heart of our homes.
Our team has already gifted some sets to friends, colleagues and loved ones, and they are a universal hit! It feels so wonderful to give a gift that you know someone will interact with, use in their own unique way, create with, and share with others. The beautiful packaging even includes origin information and recipe ideas for using the spices. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and check back, because we'll also be creating recipes and tips of our own to share with you. And we would love to hear about your recipes and creations, too
This is the first of many curated consumable goods that kanju will bring you, as we expand our Entertaining & Serving section in service of our goal to offer a broader range of products that enhance our lived home experiences.
More below about the incredible company who creates these special gifts sets below, in their own words. Another beautiful example of something that is truly #handmadewithlove.
xoxo, Meg, Owner of kanju
This interview below was completed by Shelley Barnard, who heads up the gifting business and has been involved since its infancy, and Ricardo Moretti, a trained chef who started in our New Product Development department and now works in Sales matching customers to the right products and flavors.
Company Spotlight on Cape Herb
What is your background and how did the company come about? When did it start and how has it grown?
Cape Herb & Spice was started in 1994 as an entrepreneurial endeavor at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Based on sourcing unusual and high-quality spices the business quickly evolved into packaging innovation and became a successful in a variety of markets across the world. The gifting division of Cape Herb & Spice was created separately to the main business owing to the high level of hand work and flexibility required in production. The first gifting customer was the high-end department store, Globus, in Switzerland who remains an important customer to this day.
"Our mission is to share our food passion and inspire people to explore flavor."
What is your company aesthetic and where do you draw your inspiration?
Cape Herb & Spice is synonymous with edgy design and the gifting space allows us to take that to another level. We see our gifting as a space where art meets food in a way that excites all the senses and inspires both the giver and the recipient. We also allow each product, range or food theme to be the hero ahead of the brand and this allows us to create a wide variety of design with the relevant appeal. We draw inspiration from trends in art, design, packaging, flavor and market trends to produce innovative products of exceptional quality.
"We see our gifting box sets as a space where art meets food in a way that excites all the senses and inspires both the giver and the recipient."
What is your company ethos and your company values? Is there a particular mission or goal behind your business, or particular causes your business participates in?
Our company is passionate about flavor, quality and innovation. Every development is approached with a mindset to create best in class for both contents and packaging.
All our products are FREE from artificial flavors and colors, added MSG and preservatives - and they are non-irradiated, non-GMO, Halaal, Kosher and suitable for vegans.
Furthermore, we have proudly created over 600 jobs since inception and we employ a number of people from our local community, many of whom are single mothers supporting their families. We are also involved in a number of community upliftment initiatives in the surrounding areas.
What is the process for putting together a spice collection?
We research food trend and experiences. Look at various packaging construction options and artwork trends and then marry them together and tweak it until we hit the sweet spot of inspired and varies flavors that work together and a feast for the eyes.
Please tell us a little bit about the spices you use.
Our herbs and spices come from the best suppliers in the heart of the herb and spice growing regions. We pride ourselves on the transparency of our supply chain, ensuring traceability from the farm to our factory.
Please tell us a little bit about the technique used to create your pieces, how you chose that and what makes these techniques unique or special.
We have built our business around people and their special contribution to each product. With the staff compliment that we’ve built up over the years we’ve grown staff members into experts in the techniques used in crafting our unique products, which aids in empowering and upskilling the local community.
What trends are you seeing starting to manifest in your industry over the course of the next year? Do you have anything new and exciting you want to share?
We are starting to see a growing preference for authenticity as well as a demand for more regional-specific seasonings that introduce traditional flavors from all over the world. We are pushing in the direction of blends that incorporate lesser-known ingredients from areas in the Mediterranean, North African, South American and Indian cuisines.
We are noticing an increase in demand for DIY baking kits, as well as Meal Kits. The ever-growing cocktail and gin infusion industry continues to boom, and we are coming out with premium, gift-worthy products to match the demand. We also notice a drive for supporting local and sustainable businesses for hardware items, which we aim to continue to support.
What are some of the best adventurers and anecdotes you've found yourself in in this whole process?
One of the memories I have from my travels is around how food always sparks conversation and gives you a window into someone’s life. I remember getting into a taxi early in the morning in Chicago for a rather long ride to the airport and striking up a conversation with the cabbie. He came from Mexico originally and the conversation quickly went to what I did in the food world. The conversation around spices and chili ended with him passionately giving me his favorite recipe for Huevos Rancheros with his particular tips and tricks.
"All of the products are sustainably and transparently sourced, free from artificial flavors or colors, any added preservatives, and suitable for vegan diets. And the packaging is so Gorgeous, you don't even need to wrap!"
What do you enjoy most about your business, and do you have any particular goals for the business in the future?
We are absolutely passionate about food and experimenting with flavor. Travelling around the world and experiencing different types of cuisine to bring back and package is a gift in itself.
It thrills us to see the reaction of people to our gifts and spice products and we love getting feedback about consumers enjoying our spice blends and wanting more. We know with absolute certainty that although it is the appearance that first attracts you, you will absolutely love it once you have tasted it. Our mission is to share our food passion and inspire people to explore flavor.
For the future we see ourselves adding to our brand and collaborating with more South African companies to take their amazing products to the world.
Spice things up this season. Our new spice gift boxes are now live online! Gifts for haute hosting & toasting. Shop spice sets & great goods for upcoming gatherings.