Black Pepper & Co

What Black Pepper & Co does

Black Pepper & Co is a specialty spice, tea, coffee, and salt retailer founded in 2013 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, operating a single physical store in Madrid's Chamberí neighborhood and shipping nationwide via a WooCommerce-powered e-commerce website. The product portfolio spans individual spices sourced globally (Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, star anise, fenugreek, turmeric, berbere), curated blends (tandoori, kimchi, regional mixtures), peppers, dried chiles, specialty salts, and a wide tea assortment (Gunpowder, Chun Mee, Genmaicha, Ayurvedic and relaxation infusions). Differentiated offerings include proprietary fermented products and personalized custom blends available only at the physical store.

The business operates a hybrid B2C/B2B model. Consumer revenue flows through in-store retail and e-commerce with unit pricing by weight (30g–100g SKUs typically €2.40–€7.00) and free shipping above €50. B2B revenue comes from supplying custom spice blends and specialty ingredients to restaurants throughout Spain, including Michelin-starred establishments, addressing chefs' needs for unique, signature formulations. Cooking workshops hosted at the Madrid store serve as an experiential revenue stream and a customer engagement/acquisition channel. Marketing combines a multilingual content site (Spanish/English) with an international recipe library (Thai, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Jamaican), active social media on Facebook and Instagram, customer testimonials, and earned media coverage in Spain's three largest national newspapers (El País, El Mundo, El Español).

The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and operated by founder Luis Alcázar del Valle, a former advertising executive. Operations and revenue are entirely concentrated within Spain; no institutional investors, subsidiaries, or acquisitions are present.

Name

Black Pepper & Co

Legal name

Black Pepper & Co

Website

https://blackpepperco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Pepper & Co is a Madrid-based specialty spice retailer founded in 2013 that sells spices, blends, peppers, chiles, salts, and teas to Spanish consumers via a Chamberí store and nationwide e-commerce, while supplying Michelin-starred restaurants and hosting cooking workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Spices and Teas Retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Single-Origin Spices (Geographic/Varietal, Premium Grades) (AFAJANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)

Keywords

• Specialty spice retail
• Artisan spice blends
• Loose leaf teas
• B2B restaurant supply
• Culinary cooking workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce retail sales: Online sales of spices, teas, coffees, salts, blends, and chiles through their WooCommerce-powered website, with shipping across Spain.
2. Physical retail store sales: In-store sales at their Madrid Chamberí location, offering exclusive products like custom blends and ferments not available online, plus workshops.
3. B2B restaurant supply: Supplying specialty spices and custom blends to restaurants throughout Spain, including Michelin-starred establishments.
4. Cooking workshops: Educational cooking workshops held at the physical store location, providing experiential revenue and customer engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Black Pepper & Co is a specialty retailer that sells globally sourced spices, blends, peppers, chiles, salts, teas, coffees, and curated packs through its e-commerce site and physical Madrid store. In-store-exclusive offerings include personalized custom blends and proprietary fermented products, while the company also runs cooking workshops and supplies specialty ingredients to professional restaurant clients across Spain.

Product overview

Black Pepper & Co is a specialty spice, tea, coffee, and salt retailer operating a physical store in Madrid's Chamberí neighborhood and an e-commerce platform. The product portfolio centers on the core offerings of individual spices (especias) including Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, star anise, turmeric, cumin, bay leaves, ground garlic, saffron, and berbere; custom blends (blends/mezclas) such as kimchi and tandoori; peppers (pimientas) including Cubeb pepper from Java; chiles (chiles) including Ancho and Cayena; salts (sales) from around the world; and a comprehensive tea selection (tés) featuring green teas (Gunpowder, Chun Mee, Genmaicha Kokoro), white, black, oolong, red, rooibos, and infusions (Pure Ayurveda, Relax, Chamomile, Orange and carrot). They also offer curated packs including the Curry Lovers Pack (Masala, Tikka masala, Tandoori, Garam masala, Vadouvan) and Flavors of Mexico Pack. Some custom blends and fermented products are exclusive to their physical store. The company also operates cooking workshops and supplies specialty ingredients to restaurant clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Spices (Especias) A core product category of globally sourced individual spices (Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, fenugreek, star anise, turmeric, cumin, bay leaves, ground garlic, berbere) sold by weight to home cooks and professional chefs.
• Custom Spice Blends (Mezclas) Custom-blended spice mixtures including house signatures (kimchi, estragon, regional blends) and personalized blends formulated for individual customers and restaurant clients; exclusive to the Madrid physical store.
• Peppers (Pimientas) Specialty pepper products including Cubeb pepper from Java, Indonesia, and five-berry pepper blends sold by weight.
• Dried Chiles (Chiles)

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as one of the best spice shops in Europe
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Espècies Montse: Specialty spice and tea retailer based in Barcelona, Spain, offering single-origin spices, custom blends, and B2B supply to restaurants. Closely comparable as a Spain-based specialty spice shop with both retail and wholesale motions.
• La Chinata: Spanish specialty food brand best known for extra virgin olive oil but also offering spices, cosmetics, and gourmet products through its own retail and online channels. Comparable as a Spain-based specialty food retailer combining heritage positioning with multi-channel distribution.
• Penzeys Spices: US specialty spice retailer with physical stores and e-commerce, offering curated single-origin and blended spices with strong brand advocacy and direct-to-consumer focus. Comparable business model combining retail storefront, custom blends, and online sales.
• The Spice House: US specialty spice retailer with multiple physical locations and e-commerce, offering small-batch, freshly ground spices and custom blends. Directly comparable in product curation approach, retail-plus-DTC model, and emphasis on freshness/single-origin sourcing.
• Just Spices: German DTC-first spice brand offering custom-blended spice mixes, seasonings, and rubs sold online and in retail across Europe. Highly comparable as a digitally-native specialty spice company with custom-blending capabilities and pan-European ambitions.
• Herboristería Navarro: Long-established Madrid-based herbalist and spice shop operating both a physical store and online channel, supplying bulk herbs, spices, and natural products. Closely comparable as a heritage specialty spice/herb retailer in the same Madrid market with overlapping assortment and B2B activity.
• Bart Ingredients: UK heritage spice and ingredient brand supplying both retail and foodservice channels with spices, herbs, and blends. Comparable as a multi-channel specialty spice operator with retail and B2B/foodservice reach in the European market.

Broad incumbents

• McCormick & Company: Global market leader in spices, seasonings, and flavors with brands including Ducros (Spain), Schwartz (UK), and Gourmet Garden. Operates broadly in the same category with overlapping products but does not specialize in the curated, single-origin, in-store-blending niche.

Emerging players

• Diaspora Co. US-based direct-to-consumer single-origin spice brand focused on transparency, fair-trade sourcing, and storytelling around Indian terroir spices. Comparable as an emerging player specializing in single-origin and curated spices with strong digital brand presence.
• Burlap & Barrel: US-based DTC spice company sourcing single-origin spices directly from farmers globally, with a focus on heirloom and varietal products. Comparable in single-origin, sourcing-storied positioning targeting culinary enthusiasts and chefs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackpepperco
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackpepperco
• Xx.com/blackpepperco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Pepper & Co