Amanda Bevill

Owner of World Spice Merchants

Amanda purchased World Spice Merchants from founder Tony Hill in 2005 (he opened the shop in 1995). They agreed that this career comes from passion or happenstance. In Amanda's case, it is both.

"As a child, my hands were always in the dirt, always checking out the twigs and stems."

Amanda received her degree in botany and organic chemistry, followed by several years in the medicinal herb industry. "I have always studied the plant kingdom with infinite interest-in both the field and the lab."

In transition after her first business venture, she sniffed her way into World Spice Merchants in 2001, connected with Tony and became a customer. "What could be better for a scientist and botanist than a room full of sample jars? I'm fascinated with individual ingredients and how they come together."

She began to seriously hunt spices and her kitchen became her new lab. She became an employee in 2002, taking over the reins of the store as Tony wrote his book. In 2005, she purchased the store.

Amanda sources the spices, creates blends, creates and tests recipes that go into the World Spice blog. She handles both the blog and the online website. Along with the store, spices, teas and gift packets are sold online.

Her book, World Spice at Home, written with Julie Kramis Hearne, was released in November 2014.

November 2014