Elite Spice

Employee Size

501-1,000

Organization Type

Privately Held

Headquarters

Jessup, MD

Founded in 1988 with 14 employees, Elite Spice has grown into an American-owned importer and custom manufacturer of spices and seasoning blends for the commercial food industry. Its six Maryland and Nevada facilities span more than 800,000 square feet and employ over 500 people, with in-house microbial-reduction systems and U.S.-based processing keeping safety and consistency under close control. A culinary innovation center and recipe library of more than 40,000 formulations support both new flavor development and the matching of established seasoning recipes.

• Fuchs North AmericaFuchs North America develops custom seasoning blends and supplies spices for food brands from its 215,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility in Hampstead, Maryland. Founded in North America as Baltimore Spice Company and part of the Fuchs Gruppe since 1990, the company combines in-house milling and sterilization with culinary, research and sensory teams that can match an existing flavor or develop a new one. Its North American operations also include a manufacturing facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota, while its global parent provides sourcing and trend insight.HAMPSTEAD, MD
• The Chesapeake Spice CompanyOperating since 1987, family-owned Chesapeake Spice makes spices and custom seasoning blends at manufacturing facilities on the East and West coasts. The company sources directly from growers worldwide and combines that farm-to-finished-product control with in-house culinary development, including a Culinary Center where customers can test applications. Chesapeake is BRCGS, OU Kosher, and Halal certified, and is certified by the Maryland Department of Agriculture to produce organic products.BELCAMP, MD
• First Spice Mixing Company IncFamily-owned and operated since 1940, First Spice Mixing Company makes custom seasoning blends and food ingredients for manufacturers across the food industry. Founded by Felix Epstein after he immigrated to the United States, the company grew from a Lower Manhattan spice business into a three-facility operation with research and development teams at each plant. Its history in sausage and meat seasoning remains part of the company’s identity, alongside technical support for product development and food-safety programs certified to FSSC 22000.LONG ISLAND CITY, NY
• Vanns Spices, LTDSince its founding in 1981, Vanns Spices has built its identity around helping American food businesses bring their own spice brands to market. From its Baltimore manufacturing center, the company develops private-label seasonings for retailers and food manufacturers, with a production operation sized to support both emerging brands and national distribution.WINDSOR MILL, MD