Kahja interviews Erica Perez and John Beaver
Born in 2011 and growing to include outposts in Oakland, Albany, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice Shop created a trail of flavor that led to kitchens in California and beyond!
Co-founded by John Beaver and Erica Perez, they've curated approachable spaces that cater to curious home cooks, chefs, and restaurants alike, focusing on an extensive selection of spices from around the world, knowledgeable service, and creating third spaces for communities of food lovers.
This week, Kahja talks with John and Erica about the high school job that turned him into a Spice SME (subject matter expert), learning the business of running a shop, scaling and navigating systems and growth during the pandemic, creating an immersive in-store experience, their place in The As Told By Podcast history, operational throughlines of different kinds of businesses, coming up with unique blends, and a few unexpected spice grinding misnomers.
Recorded on location in Berkeley, CA.
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Intro music by Diff Works