March Roundtable Luncheon

Gneiss Spice is an award-winning, design-oriented consumer products company located in western Maine. Since 2009, founder Beth Weisberger and a team of four employees have made it convenient for professional women to cook healthy meals for their families by specializing in artful spice organizers. They sell direct to consumers online through their website and Amazon.com. The company prizes environmental sustainability by reusing packaging and sourcing eco-friendly materials. As the first to introduce compostable packaging for their collection of 200 organic spice refills, Gneiss Spice is leading the charge in reducing kitchen waste. Growing at a rate of 25% year after year, they have maintained a higher than industry average gross-profit margin of over 50%.  Each year, five-percent of profits is donated to local and national charities focused on food insecurity.

Challenge question:  As a business owner who is the face of the company, how do you take a leave from your own business without losing your brand recognition?

Founder Beth Weisberger started Gneiss Spice in 2009 as a hobby business while teaching full-time in the NYC public schools. She was learning to cook in a tiny kitchen and had no convenient way to store spices. Using the space-saving characteristics of vertical storage, Beth designed an artful way to store spices magnetically on her fridge. Friends and family wanted a set, and the business was born.

With a degree in educational leadership, Beth has used data-driven strategic planning to grow the company without debt by reinvesting profits. In 2012, Beth left her teaching career to focus on the future of Gneiss Spice and grow her team. A committed learner, she meets monthly with her business mentor and reads constantly to learn from the best in the industry. Although Beth is passionate about spices, her real expertise is in crafting an exceptional experience that takes customers and turns them into fervent fans.