Thyme | Sicilian Spring Thyme
25 grams, dried
Floral, with citrus and a hint of pepper.
Use the thyme as a seasoning, for example in a homemade za'atar or with some olive oil and salt on tomato slices.
Use the thyme as a seasoning, for example in a homemade za'atar or with some olive oil and salt on slices of tomato.
Thyme is floral with fresh citrus notes and a surprisingly peppery taste. These interesting aromas are particularly noticeable when you sprinkle thyme over a dish at the end, without heating it with the rest of the ingredients.
Our thyme comes from the island of Sicily, where we collaborate with Valdibella: a social, sustainable, and distinctly anti-mafia farmers' cooperative. Among other things, they offer employment to ex-convicts and are committed to a fair agricultural supply chain.
The cooperative was founded in the 1980s by five courageous farmers who were fed up with low prices and the interference of the mafia. They wanted to produce pure and healthy food for their families and friends – free from chemicals and other additives.
How is this chain structured?
All our chains have their own story. Their own plot of land, their own farmer. It is grown and processed in a certain way. Travel with us to the story behind this taste.
Our thyme comes from Sicily. We work there with Valdibella, a farmers' cooperative founded by five grape farmers who were fed up with the low prices they received for their products and the interference of the local mafia. The higher margins made it possible to produce more sustainably, so they could grow healthy food for their friends and family.
During the build-up, they collaborated with a Catholic organization to provide employment for people who have difficulty entering the labor market, including ex-convicts. Over the years, Valdibella has grown into an organization with 33 farmers, its own processing center, many different products, and a fund for farmers who get into trouble due to debts with the mafia.
Farmers in Valdibella plant herbs like thyme along the verges around other crops. They do this mainly because it's good for biodiversity. Bees and other insects love it. Nevertheless, this thyme tastes delicious. A small harvest is available.
Growth cycle: year-round
Harvest: In spring after the first bloom.
Let's make an impact!
Each supply chain not only has its own story, but also its own challenges. We would like to tell you about the impact we make on each chain and how we deal with specific challenges.
We are the first party to ensure a structural decrease in thyme, allowing them to invest in production and increase quantities.
Valdibella is committed to combating anti-mafia practices. They are fighting against structures that have prevailed in Sicily over the past centuries. Their mission is to enhance the value of farmers, they have concrete plans against commercial and labor exploitation, and they work organically with a focus on biodiversity and indigenous crops.
Due to rising temperatures caused by climate change, and certain agricultural practices (which Valdibella rejects), there are many 'wild' fires in Sicily, threatening Valdibella's farmers and crops.
The high temperatures also lead to a decrease in natural water sources and groundwater.
Furthermore, harvests are smaller but the flavour is more intense. However, market prices are quantity-driven and not flavour-driven. This leads to a reduction in Valdibella's income.
Although Valdibella has broken free from the influence of the mafia, the legacy of control, inequality, and traditional ways of thinking within Sicilian agriculture remain ongoing challenges.
Frequently asked questions
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Air, light, and moisture are not good for the quality of your spices. Therefore, store them in a tightly sealed jar or tin that doesn't let light through (or in a dark kitchen cupboard or drawer). Also, do not store them above your stove, as cooking fumes can then get to them. Always make sure to transfer spices from a repack into a well-sealing jar or tin as quickly as possible.
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The shelf life of spices is primarily determined by the loss of flavor that occurs over time, as they generally don't go bad otherwise. We use a shelf life of 2.5 - 3 years after harvest. This depends partly on the time of bottling and also whether they are whole spices that you grind yourself or pre-ground powder.
Spices in the supermarket are often already 2-3 years old before they are even bottled and then given a shelf life of another 3-5 years. Mostly use your senses to determine if they are still good. At some point, there's just no flavor left, which is a shame for that beautiful meal!
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We do not have organic certification, despite our spices meeting these standards. All farmers work in harmony with nature and without pesticides, but the certification process is unfortunately very expensive. For small farmers, it is actually unaffordable. And we want to show them that it is worthwhile to grow spices sustainably. That there are people willing to pay for a quality natural product and that they don't first have to make a huge, impossible investment in the form of certification.
Some of our farmers do have the certificate, by the way. Cooperatives, for example, can apply for the certification process jointly, which makes it much more affordable. However, to be able to state this on the packaging, our entire chain would also have to be certified, including the Social Workshop where the spices are packaged. This is currently not possible, as they also work for other non-organic producers. So, in short: no, we are not officially certified, but the quality and way of working are at least as good.
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Single Origin means that a product comes from one specific place. Often, harvests from different places, sometimes even from different countries and different years, are mixed together. Traders do this to develop the cheapest possible product with a consistent taste. With us, you know exactly where your spices come from, right down to the farmer's name. This also means that the quality can sometimes vary, as it is a natural product. For example, one year may be drier than another, which can lead to a change in taste. But our farmers always strive for the highest possible taste experience, and you can taste it!
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We strive to always purchase the latest harvest. Of course, it can sometimes happen that we still have some stock from an older harvest when the new harvest is already available. So we cannot always guarantee that you will receive the very latest harvest, but we do strive for that as much as possible. On the packaging, you will find a QR code leading to a page where you can find out exactly when your spices were harvested and when they were filled into the tins/bags. With this, we aim for complete transparency in our process.
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We ship to most European countries, but this, of course, comes with higher shipping costs. Do you want to order from a specific country, but it's not possible? Please contact us, so we can explore the options.
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At the Siza Social Workplace, they do their utmost to pack the parcels the day after the order. If it's busy, it might take an extra day. They don't work on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so if you order on a Thursday, for example, it will take a bit longer before your parcel is dispatched.
Once the parcels are ready, they are collected by Groene Rijders and delivered by their bicycle couriers in the areas they serve, or outsourced to PostNL. Depending on how busy it is, they also aim to deliver within 1 working day.