FAQs

Gewürzhaus is the German word for ‘spice house’.

"Ge-voorts-house"

Yes, we believe we offer the vastest range of products in a self-scoop format. Gewürzhaus’ other point of difference is local and regular milling of whole spices. The majority of shops selling spices in Australia (including ethnic shops) sell products that have been milled off-shore, resulting in months passing before they reach local shelves. It is not uncommon that your supermarket cinnamon might be 6 months old before it reaches your kitchen.

Yes, we make only small batches to ensure freshness and high quality.

+ Out of sunlight (that’s generally why we use amber tinted jars and black bags)
+ Away from moisture & condensation (keep those jars away from the stove!)
+ Out of the heat
+ In an airtight jar or container

We don’t add any products which contain gluten to any of our spice blends. But due to the extensive supply chain of the source products, we cannot guarantee that there will be no traces of gluten in our products. If you have an intolerance to gluten, it is highly unlikely that any of our blends will set off a reaction. If you suffer seriously from coeliac disease, we would ask you to strongly consider the risk before trying any of our blends.

Spices don’t have expiry dates as such, they simply lose their flavour and aroma. Here is a rough guide to how long they will be at their prime:

+ Whole spice: up to 2 years
+ Ground spice: up to 1 year
+ Leafy herbs: 1 to 2 years
+ Salts: Indefinitely

If you have visited our shop and self scooped your spices, we recommend you keep them in the spice bags for no longer than two weeks. Although the bags are lined, they are not 100% airtight – ground spices especially will hold their aroma and potency better in a jar or air tight container. Be sure to place each individual bag in a separate container to avoid aroma taint. This is especially important for the pungent spices and blends: cardamom is a notorious contaminator!

Should one of your spices or blends clump, just break them up with a spoon and use as before.

We don’t add preservatives or anti-caking agents to our blends, so as nature has it, some of them will tend to clump. This is generally due to the higher moisture content of certain spices: juniper berry, for example, retains some moisture even when dry.

Always store out of sunlight, away from moisture and condensation, out of the heat and in an airtight jar or container.

Our single-origin herbs and spices are imported from every region of the world, with each coming from their authentic land of origin, or from where the quality is superior.

We source pepperberry from Tasmania, panela sugar from Colombia, Black Lava Salt from Cyprus, lavender flower from France, to name a few. The blends, however, are milled and mixed freshly in Melbourne.

Our locally made blends are produced in small batches every week. By making just a small amount, we know the quality and shelf life of our products are the best you can buy.

Most of our spice blends are vegetarian other than a few that contain dried shredded prawns.
These are Laksa Lemak, Red Curry Blend, Green Curry Blend and Thai Tom Yum.

Yes, you can. There are no quarantine restrictions or problems with taking commercially prepared herbs or spices into other parts of Australia, whether by vehicle, air or post. Read more here.

Yes, you can. If travelling internationally, we recommend that you:

+ Purchase Gewürzhaus products that are available in jars to present the unbroken seal to customs officers.
+ Always declare Gewürzhaus products upon entering another country.

To ensure that your selected Gewürzhaus products will be permitted entry, please check your destination country’s customs website for detailed information.

Please refer to the cleaning and cooking instructions here.

Skeppshult has been making cast iron products in Sweden by hand since 1906 according to ancient methods and traditions.

Please note that dry spices only should be used. Moist spices and salt can potentially cause corrosion on grinding surfaces. Clean with a brush and keep grinder dry at all times.

If some corrosion does occur, it can be cleaned off with a metal brush and wiped out. This will not affect product quality.

We're very excited about the 2024 Spice Advent Calendar! All information about the product and more FAQs can be found here: Spice Advent Calendar 2024

Yes, customers have the choice to self-scoop, which is a great way of sampling a new spice. Our shops are just like lolly shops for adults, so you can lift the lids of the spice tubs, smell and see the products before you scoop your desired quantity into specially crafted and labelled spice bags. Great fun!

To help reduce waste and conform with our environmentally friendly policy, we encourage our customers to bring in empty Gewürzhaus jars for a refill.

The jars need to be clean and undamaged. You will receive a 10% discount on the contents in our stores, however, only products that we sell loose in the store you are visiting will be available for a refill.

To enquire as to which store stocks your desired refill loose, please contact the store directly.

Yes, we'd love to see you. See our store locations here.

Gewürzhaus sells both bulk and retail units to restaurants and shops throughout Australia. Click here for more details.

We appreciate that you want to shop with the confidence of knowing that, if you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you can simply return it and we will provide you with an exchange, refund or repair within the following guidelines:

+ Goods must be returned within three months of purchase.

+ A valid receipt must be produced.

+ The item must be in re-saleable condition.

+ Self-serve herbs & spices cannot be returned or exchanged.

+ Jarred herbs & spices and refill packs must have their original seal intact.

+ Faulty items may be returned to the manufacturer for assessment to determine whether an exchange, refund or repair will be issued.

+ No returns are accepted on sale items.