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The $35 Beginning

In 1947 Mr. Martinez scraped together $35 to buy his first inventory of spices, which he immediately repackaged into small cellophane packets. Mr. Martinez then peddled his spices door-to-door to all the corner markets in the Los Angeles, California area. His $35 investment turned into a $50 profit, which he used to buy more spices. Tampico Spice Company – one of the first companies in the world to package spices in cellophane bags for enhanced visibility and convenience – was born!

Mr. Martinez’ routine was to get up early, deliver the prior day’s orders, then go door-to-door until he visited 10 new markets, and finally go home to pack up the products for the next day’s deliveries. It was hard work, but it paid off.

The beginning spice