Spice company owner flames Trump voters: You committed an act of racism

[HAB911]

MILWAUKEE — Penzeys Spices, a Wauwatosa-based company famous for its spices, is in the middle of a political firestorm after its owner slammed President-elect Donald Trump and the voters who supported him.

"The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades," Bill Penzey Jr. wrote in a Tuesday night email to the company's mailing list. "The American people are taking notice."

Penzey followed up with a Facebook post titled "Cooking trumps Racism."

On Facebook, he praised Republicans who refused to back Trump but slammed those who voted for him.

"You just voted for an openly racist candidate for the presidency of the United States of America," Penzey wrote.

And he urged Trump voters to make amends by donating to civil liberties or anti-hate groups.

"You really are a good bunch, but you just committed the biggest act of racism in American history since Wallace stood in the schoolhouse doorway 53 years ago," he wrote. "Make this right. Take ownership for what you have done and begin the pathway forward."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/11/20/spice-company-owner-flames-trump-voters-you-commited-act-racism/94164924/

[Hortensis]

1. Gonna order some more from Penzey's, BUT we would not

all be so frightened, no matter our skin and backgrounds, if this was ALL about racism. We now know beyond a doubt that "it" really could happen here.

We all need to stand against racism, fascism, kleptocracy, corruption like Bill Penzey.

[el_bryanto]

7. That is a good point

It is kind of chilling to consider that the best case scenario in my mind is that we have a President who's ridiculously corrupt, deceptive, and venal - because it would be a lot worse if was really committed to enacting all of the terrible ideas he and his party have espoused.

Bryant

[justhanginon]

2. Good company and good products. Dealt with them for 20 some years.

First they were mail order only and now have stores in some cities which is where I now get my always fresh spices. Always been more than satisfied with their merchandise. Mr. Penzey's statement is well said and just icing on the cake.

[bdamomma]

3. Good for Penzeys

Good company and spices and everything else.

[Bettie]

4. Penzey's is one of my favorite places

and now I know I can keep shopping there! YAY for Bill!

[crim son]

5. Penzey's has always been outspoken in its support for Liberal causes.

People are just now noticing?

[Nay]

6. I've been ordering spices from them for 15 years, I guess I'll make another big

order this week!

[HAB911]

8. Let's all vote with our wallets

https://votewithurwallet.wordpress.com/buy-blue/

[2naSalit]

16. I can get by without most of these

entities, others I depend on because I'm seriously rural and have few options. My phone and internet providers are on the list along with my insurance company (and several others that could be options in my area) but I can do without most of them.

[blueseas]

9. Let's buy his spices

As a thank you!

[femmocrat]

10. Thanks! Just bookmarked their website!

I am doing some of my Christmas shopping there now.

I didn't know they had a local store....

[HAB911]

11. Yep, been to the one in Sarasota several times! n/t

[mainer]

23. Only place I've been able to find Szechuan peppercorns

I'd never heard of Penzeys until I wandered into that Sarasota store one day while on vacation.

[dumbcat]

12. Good for them

I've used their products for years.

[The Polack MSgt]

13. Never heard of this company before today

But I just ordered a bunch of spices...

The positive reviews on this thread made it easy for me to pull the wallet out - Although I probably would have anyway...

[KewlKat]

14. good company with GREAT spices. Bought from them lots when I lived in WI

will have to buy some online.

thanks for the article!

BUY BLUE

[stopwastingmymoney]

15. That settles it

Penzey's for Christmas for everyone!

We have a local store, it's a fun place to visit if you get the chance

[BumRushDaShow]

17. I missed this thread yesterday

but am on their mailing list and was like woah!

I have a whole cabinet full of their spices and notably because they have a variety that is difficult to find elsewhere. Their narrative has always been about peace, love, sharing. What I didn't realize was that one of his family was also involved in the "Spice House".

It's interesting that leading up to this election, the type of rhetoric that people tended to keep to themselves, has not only bubbled out, but has escalated into a full fledged roar. Like one big blow-out of suppressed feelings.

During the 2012 election, when we saw the Whole Foods/Papa John's/Chic-Fil-A/Home Depot prideful exhortations against liberal policies, these institutions were celebrated in the media despite the uproar from the left. We do need to support our own but sometimes we need to find out who is "our own".

[HAB911]

18. Please help us send a message!

86,053 Likes

Midnight tonight ends your chance to send a message. We are just a few thousand Facebook page likes short of doubling our likes since we first addressed the Republican Party's open support of racism in this last election. If you are on Facebook and haven't already liked us, it would be great if you could do it tonight. This email is on Facebook as a post right now, sharing there would also be a great way to help.
And yes, we are using this moment to promote our business. We do believe in what we do. Cooking really does heal the world. It's not magic that makes having cooking in our lives lead to better outcomes. Cooking dramatically reduces our susceptibility to irrational thought. And you may have noticed this election has been all about irrational thought. Cooking really is our way Forward.

Six years ago, Wisconsin became the trial grounds for how unlimited political spending can overwhelm the will of the people. One of the most important lessons we've learned here is that the goodness of our community is not measured by the tally of a voting machine. The kindness and decency of the American people did not disappear two weeks ago. The majority of this country believes the path to a brighter future is in caring for each other. Unfortunately the majority will be facing minority rule.

The second thing we learned six years ago, when the very same forces came to power with many of the same faces, is that the most important days of the next four years will come in the first few months of next year. We were caught flat-footed six years ago. We could not believe the extremism we were seeing. It took us until August to launch our "Support your local teacher" campaign to counteract Wisconsin's attack on public schools. Seeing the extreme voices being welcomed into the White House and the Cabinet, we can't be caught flat-footed again. We are already on our toes.

One of our customers said it so well this morning: “Devastated by election results, I turned off my phone, tv, computer. I was heartbroken realizing the size of the population I live with that are racist, many of which are not self-aware. Reading your email this morning brought me to tears. It gave me back what was lost—hope. Thank you.”

It's time to get our heads out of the sand. If you need to mourn, take this weekend to mourn. Cook, share time with family and friends, and heal. But come Monday it's time to get back at it. Come Monday we have a world to save. A few more Facebook likes will help. Please pass this along.

Heal the world—Cook dinner tonight.

Bill
[e-mail]

[HAB911]

19. Penzeys Spices Open letter to CEOs of America just out

Dear CEO,

Please give us a moment to share something we hope you will find very valuable.

Our customers come from all walks of life. The kindness of cooks knows no borders or divides. In the aftermath of the election, seeing the intentional damage inflicted on so many outside the white heterosexual male world, we raised our voice. We felt we had to. We did this because we are Penzeys. The Spice business is so intertwined with history that it's not really possible to have one without the other. It became clear to us that we are now in a moment history will long have its eyes upon. For the sake of our customers, and for the sake of future generations, we felt the time had come to stand on the right side of history.

And while the reasons for why we took a stand might be specific to our unique outlook, what we learned actually applies to all commerce in the United States. What we learned is that President-elect Donald Trump has no real support. Voters, sure, but no constituency. Running a campaign on "that horrible-terrible-woman who should be locked up," while at the same time working to raise fear of minorities among white voters with limited access to education, clearly achieved its goal. But none of it left Americans with any sense of connection to the candidate they actually voted for.

Willing to take a hit for what is right, we did what we did. In the two weeks since, online sales are up 59.9%, gift box sales up 135%. And we didn't have a catalog arrive in this window this year, while last year we had 1.1 million! Yes, maybe for the moment we have lost 3% of our customers because of the so-called "right wing firestorm." And, yes, they send emails of rage, and ALL CAPS, and bad language with the hope of creating the perception that they are bigger than they really are. But what we learned is that, in terms of retail spending, Donald Trump simply has no one supporting his views for America. He has no constituency.

America's Values, on the other hand, have a really sizable constituency, and that constituency moves quickly to support those that stand up for the values of America. If, as a company, you have values, now is the time to share them. You may well lose a chunk of your AM radio-listening customers, but if you really are honest and sincere, don't be surprised to see your promotions suddenly, finally, find active engagement with the Millennial generation.

And the time for this really is now. We understand all too well that, with the holidays, December is a tough month to get things done. We understand that a change in direction will not be easy, but you are where you are because you don't need things to be easy. If you wait until after the wheels come off the track for the incoming administration, this moment will have passed. And while there's no bad time to do the right thing, to do the right thing at the same time as others in your industry will work so much better than waiting until someone else has shown the way.

In this moment there is finally the real chance to unite our nation in our shared rejection of sexism, homophobia, and racism. This is your chance to stand up for America's values and make January a tent pole in your company's history. Opportunities to do the right thing at the time when doing the right thing makes all the difference come once in a lifetime. Make your history proud.

Thanks for reading,

Penzeys Spices

[Greybnk48]

20. One of my nephews has worked there for years

at the main Milwaukee plant. He has told us about the Penzey's liberalism and their willingness to stand up and be vocal for what's right and fair over the years to the point that I thought he was exaggerating (I've known for years now that he was being accurate). This is nothing new for this family and this company.

Their spices and products are second to none so it's easy to shop at one of their stores and support them. But I would find a way to support them even if they were not the very best.

[mainer]

21. White nationalists only use salt and pepper anyway

I doubt they're exotic spice customers.

[Tanuki]

22. Putting my money where my mouth is:

I am going to order some spices from Penzeys today to show support. Here is a link if anyone else wants to do the same:
https://www.penzeys.com/

[bdamomma]

24. good post

and thank you Mr. Penzey.