Foods of the World Forum Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > Other Food-Related Topics > The FOTW Farmer's Market
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Mail Order Ingredients
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

This site is completely supported by donations; there are no corporate sponsors. We would be honoured if you would consider a small donation, to be used exclusively for forum expenses.



Thank you, from the Foods of the World Forums!

Mail Order Ingredients

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
HistoricFoodie View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 21 February 2012
Location: Kentucky
Status: Offline
Points: 4940
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Mail Order Ingredients
    Posted: 25 February 2013 at 11:41
Ron's recent discussion about IHerbs (http://www.foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/iherbcom_topic3249.html#22121) got me to thinking how we all have mentioned, at one time or another, how anything is available on the internet. That's certainly true. But there are companies, and their are companies.
 
So I thought it might be nice to keep a running list of places that provide hard-to-find ingredients, and which have shown good customer service.
 
I'm defining "hard-to-find" both ways; that is, they truly are hard to find products, or they are just hard to obtain where you live.
 
I'll start the list, and hopefully other members will add to it.
 
Although I haven't used it, IHerb (www.IHerb.com) is a good place to start. It's actually a full-service grocery store, so you can use it not only for herbs and spices but for other ingredients as well. According to Ron, customer service is 5 stars.
 
Penzy's (www.penzeys.com) is talked about on virtually every food list. Sooner or later somebody posts that they're looking for something, and somebody else immediately responds that Penzy's has it. Surprisingly, I have never bought anything from them, either from their stores or on-line. So will depend on somebody else for a customer service rating.
 
Kalustyans (www.kalustyans.com). In New York, Kalustyans is the go-to store for herbs, spices, and rare ingredients. Their bricks and mortar location actually stocks even more than they offer on-line. And that's a pretty extensive line. I give them 4 stars for customer service.
 
The Spanish Table (www.thespanishtable.com). For Iberian goods it's hard to beat The Spanish Table. Granted, their selection isn't as broad as it could be. But they do have some things unavailable elsewhere. Customer service rating: 5 stars. La Tienda is also good for Spanish products, particular things like hams and specialty items. I haven't actually ordered from them, so have no customer service rating.
 
Vanilla Saffron Imports (saffron@saffron.com). This relatively unknown San Francisco company is, imo, the only place to shop for these ingredients. Their products are the highest quality (their saffron, for instance, is Iranian---considered the world's best---and exceeds the ISO standards) available, and their prices nothing short of incredible. Customer service level is 5 stars.
Back to Top
Sponsored Links


Back to Top
TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 January 2010
Location: Chinook, MT
Status: Offline
Points: 9356
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 February 2013 at 11:57
Taylor's Market (http://taylorsmarket.com/) treated me really good when I recently ordered some Basque marinade; as an aside, both varieties (one for fish and one for meat) are very good and worth a try - type "basque sauce" in their search bar, and you will see the first two results.
 
www.LaTienda.com is definitely to be mentioned as a source for Iberian products as well, and deserves a spot here on this list.
 
www.Amazon.com is another source that I often use; I usually get good prices by getting the conulting list of sources that sell the product through Amazon, and shipping is usually fair - having said that, sometimes I am unable to find things, or they are more expensive than through other sources. This is what led me to discover Taylor's Market and iHerb.
 
Speaking of iHerb, I do want to pass this savings along - iHerb gave me a promotional coupon code to pass along to any new customer, along with this explanation:
 
Quote Your personal iHerb gift code is GLQ913. You can share your code with family and friends. Any new customer you refer to us will receive $10 off their first order of $40 or more, or they can take $5 off orders less than $40.
 
Feel free to use it ~ they seem to be good people.
 
 
If you are a visitor and like what you see, please click here and join the discussions in our community!
Back to Top
Margi Cintrano View Drop Down
Master Chef
Master Chef
Avatar

Joined: 03 February 2012
Location: Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 6357
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 February 2013 at 09:05
ITALIAN IMPORTS TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA:
 
www.specialtyproduce.com   ( located in San Diego ) ... I cannot rate, as I do not reside in USA
 
FROM SPAIN:
 
www.latienda.com ( Spanish ) = 5 stars in Customer Service; just ask Ron; their Spanish headquarters ship throughout Europe and they are wonderful here too
 
WORLDWIDE:
 
www.amazon.com ( 5 stars for shipping from the USA to SPAIN OR ITALY )
Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
Back to Top
Hoser View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 06 February 2010
Location: Cumberland, RI
Status: Offline
Points: 3454
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 February 2013 at 02:25
Here are a few sites that I use on a regular basis....nobody gets on m,y list without stellar customer service.

For general kitchen supplies, pot and pans etc. http://www.fantes.com/

My favorite olive oil ever...  http://www.oliocarli.com/us/



Thai and Asian ingredients...  http://importfood.com/


Go ahead...play with your food!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.076 seconds.