Penzey's Spices returns to Florida and opens in Orlando, challenges DeSantis, GOP

After a few years of absence, one of the most cheerfully progressive, anti-GOP businesses in the country has returned to the GOP-controlled state where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis frequently says "woke goes to die."

Bill Penzey, Jr., owner of Penzey's Spices, took it as a challenge. The new store in Orlando opened this week, although the grand opening is still at least a few weeks off according to a staffer Sunday.

"The Republicans are looking to ride a wave of racism towards immigrants to victory in November," he wrote a few weeks ago in one of the company's frequent emails. "We have to stop that."

Every newsletter from Penzey includes coupons and deals often themed to match current events, such as the January 6 Box with three different spices including one called "Justice," or "Transgender Remember!" with free packets of "Vanilla Sugar of Love." Every shipment arrives with brightly colored stickers on and in the box and pins and magnets saying "Choose Hope," "Embrace Hope," "Choose Love," "Heal the World" and other inclusive messages of encouragement.

What is Penzey's Spices?

The son of the owners of a coffee and spice business, William (Bill) Penzey, Jr. opened his own mail-order company in 1986 and his first retail store in 1994. The company is based in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and at its height before the COVID pandemic had nearly 70 locations in 29 states. Penzey's is the largest independent spice retailer in the United States, with a strong, almost cultish following for the company's quality spices and frequent sales. And Penzey's outspoken opinions, or possibly despite them.

From the start Penzey added personal notes and messages to his catalogs and later expanded to social media and newsletters, detailing events in his family and community and increasingly speaking his mind about low teacher pay, Native-American-themed sports mascots, white flight, and Black Lives Matter.

Since then he has slammed Donald Trump, urged Trump voters to make amends by donating to civil liberties or anti-hate groups, added an "About Republicans" page to the company website and named the weekend before 2022's Martin Luther King Day "Republicans Are Racists Weekend" with a deal on Mexican, Chinese and Indian spices with profits going to racial justice organizations. In 2023, he used his newsletter to raise money for an alternative graduation ceremony for beleaguered students of New College of Florida, the liberal arts honors college undergoing a controversial conservative conversion by DeSantis-appointed trustees

Most recently Penzey has been working on bringing back the popular print catalog for Mother's Day, featuring recipes from moms of transgender children.

What will I find at Penzey's in Orlando?

Aside from the politics, Penzey's is known for a wide selection of quality spices ethically sourced from around the world and a lot of its own specialty spice mixtures and themed gift boxes.

Prices tend to run higher than you'll find at Publix but the company offers frequent sales, coupons and offers at the stores and in the newsletters that bring the total back down.

Why is Penzey's Spices coming to Florida?

Penzey signed the lease "at a time when Florida Republicans were on a roll and they were calling Florida the place where 'woke corporations come to die,'" Penzey said in an email last week. "It was a challenge we couldn’t refuse."

But he's aware of the risks.

"I firmly believe this store can make a real difference. So many in Florida today are being needlessly hurt by the cruelty of the Florida Republican party. Now that their governor has so dramatically failed on the national stage and their leadership is in shambles, I see real hope for real positive change rooted in the kindness and caring found in the hearts of cooks."

Where is Penzey's coming to Florida?

The new location is at 1809 S. Orange Ave. in Orlando, about 500 feet away from the Pulse Interim Memorial.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

When is the Orlando Florida Penzey's opening?

They've unlocked the door, Penzey said in a newsletter this week.

"There will be a time a little ways down the road for grand opening specials and getting you to tell all your friends to come shop with us and help prove the governor wrong about Florida being the place where woke comes to die." he said.

Is the Orlando Penzey's hiring?

"Humanity, Required. Retail Experience, not so much."

The company is still hiring for part-time positions. Part-time starts at $15.75 an hour.

'Truth be told, we see business a little bit differently than most," the part-time application reads. "Yes, stores are about selling things. At Penzeys we believe one of those things is ideas. Ideas for equity and equality, ideas for justice, ideas for a better world.

"From our experience, engaging cooks within a community moves positive change further, faster, than pretty much anything else."

Have there been Penzey's Spices in Florida before?

There were previously several Penzey's locations in Florida in Jacksonville, Winter Park and Sarasota. Penzey's has closed multiple locations in recent years — all the stores closed to in-person shopping during the pandemic — but the company has not responded to emailed questions as to the reasons for the Florida closings.

There are currently 50 locations listed on the company website in 23 states, including Florida.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Penzey's Spices opens Orlando Florida location, challenges DeSantis