With an apt nose and perceptive taste buds, Jennifer English has a knack for recognizing the best among spicy foods, sugary morsels — and ripe business opportunities.
"I've always been fascinated by spices," said English, president of The Flavorbank Co. Inc., a Tucson-based pepper and spice wholesale firm that sells to more than 850 gourmet and speciality grocery stores around the country.
English, a former marketing executive, took over the company last year and has moved its headquarters from a South Side location to new digs at El Mercado Shopping Center on the southeast corner of East Broadway and Wilmot Road.
There, it has opened its first retail store, a gourmet spice market where the scents of peppercorns, chiles, sea salts and sweet spices, mingle with the scent of organic teas and coffee blends in the cozy space.
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"I want customers to walk in and be hugged and brightened by the smell," said English, who as girl in Newton, Mass., fell under the spell of a coffee, tea and spice shop and never quite recovered.
"It was so foreign, with its bright colors and smells. It was intriguing to a 7-year-old," said English, now a 43-year-old Tucsonan. "It held an exotic magic."
English wants to capture that same bewitching charm with Tucson's new Flavorbank store, which features a "spice bar" where customers can make custom spice and pepper blends.
"This type of atmosphere is fabulous," said Monte Thompson, 63, a food stylist who was part of a recent "spice tasting" at the shop. "Spices add one more layer to every dish. An experience like this is heightening our awareness."
English hopes the store opening will also mark a turning point for the 38-year-old spice company, which filed for bankruptcy protection two years ago.
"This is an extraordinary company," said English, who is embarking on a six-year plan to dig Flavorbank out of debt. "We're going to succeed and we're going to do it one peppercorn at a time."
Was a family operation
Once on the verge of financial collapse, Flavorbank rose from humble beginnings as a New York store selling spices, salts, sugars and syrup.
The company was started in 1969 by Warren Ansley, whose family operated Flavorbank for more than 35 years.
The company flourished with multimillion-dollar sales as consumer demand for gourmet foods rose around the country.
After Ansley died, the company moved to Florida. In the mid-1990s, the company moved to Tucson, where other Ansley family members had relocated.
At its pinnacle, the company made special blends for celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, whose line of spices accounted for about 80 percent of Flavorbank's annual sales.
Things changed, however, in 2000 when the company lost Lagasse's business to a competitor and annual sales plunged from more than $1 million to $300,000, according to Star archives.
Growth-related expenses and debts mounted for the company and its future seemed bleak.
Another blow came for the company and the Ansley family in 2001, when Flavorbank CEO Kathy Ansley died.
Her daughter, Jackie Brooks, inherited the company and kept it going for a few years before filing for protection in bankruptcy court in 2005.
Despite its finances, English, an investor with the company, wanted to take it over and in August the courts approved her reorganization plan and awarded her Flavorbank's assets and debts.
"It's a great brand," said English, who credits Kathy Ansley with nurturing Flavorbank's brand and far-reaching reputation. "This company has a lot of history and pedigree … I want to keep that vision alive."
Catering to gourmet outlets
English wants to continue the company's tradition that calls for its four employees to design and package each spice blend by hand for shops around the country.
Retail prices will also remain the same with its 2.2-ounce peppercorn tubes selling for about $5 and peppercorn gift sets for $25.
The market for spices is growing, following the trend that teas and chocolates have followed in recent years, said Denise Shoukas, a spokeswoman for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Inc., based in New York.
"Consumers are more interested in healthier lifestyles and manufacturers are using spices to feed that trend," she said. "Spices will satisfy large consumer demand in the future."
Flavorbank plans to concentrate on wholesale orders to upscale gourmet markets around the country, including AJ's Fine Foods in Arizona and Zabar's in New York.
Those orders account for 85 percent of the company's business.
"We've carried their product for 10 years," said Armine Roat, a buyer for The Cheese Shop, in Concord, Mass. "They have quality ingredients and the blends are great. It's a great company to buy from … Jenn doesn't just sell, she educates buyers about all kinds of blends."
Teaching others about spices doesn't stop with company buyers.
After graduating with her MBA degree, English worked as a marketing consultant in Boston.
Wanting a career change and to pursue her culinary interests, English moved to Tucson in 1998 and founded the "Food and Wine Radio Network," which she hosted and turned into a nationally syndicated show, winning a James Beard Award in 2001.
English now hosts KVOI's "Sunday Brunch" radio show and has recently started a culinary book club in Tucson.
"People are becoming more discerning with their food choices," English said. "People are now having an awakening of the spirit through food … and through flavoring."
What, where
The Flavorbank Co., Inc.,
6372 E. Broadway
747-5431
On the air
Listen to Jennifer English host "Sunday Brunch" on KVOI-690 AM. It airs Sundays, from 2-4 pm.