I found out about the spice company Burlap & Barrel about three years ago. The Sambal Lady was coming out with three different spice blends that she created in partnership with this spice company, and I was intrigued. They work directly with farmers to get to the source. There’s accountability for things like farming practices, ethical treatment of workers and wages, and the spices are just fresher. You’re closer to the source. Of course, this comes at a much higher price tag, but occasionally, especially when it comes to the ingredients I cook with, I am definitely willing to splurge. What we put into our bodies is really important.

Last year, I bought this really rich, pungent sumac from Burlap & Barrel. It was totally different than the last sumac I had purchased from Fairway. The color was this really dark, deep burgundy color. The fragrance wafted strongly out of the bottle. And the feel on my fingertips of the sumac flakes was really rich and oily. I was really blown away by the quality almost immediately. They even suggest starting with half of what a recipe recommends for a given spice because their spices are that much fresher and richer. And I believe it. I’ve done just that and never felt like I was skimping out on spicing my foods with their spices.

But this past Sunday, I had a total snafu. I was about to roast a tray of vegetables and was sprinkling sumac directly from the bottle when the little shaker top on the bottle fell off. And plop! Almost half of my beloved, rich, and expensive sumac came pouring all over my tray. I tried to salvage as much as I could, but it was already too late. It was contaminated, and some sumac flakes even got some olive oil on them.

I sent an email to the B&B customer service, and within minutes, someone from their customer service team responded and said they would send out a replacement bottle immediately. Given shipping would be free, she asked me if I wanted to add anything to my order. Free shipping on just two bottles? Ummm, yeah! So I added a bottle of herbes de Provence, which I’ve been wanting to try. She even threw in a free kitchen towel! I was floored.

Now, if every customer service team could be that responsive and empathetic, while also taking immediate action, every single person on earth who buys anything would be happy.