Solstice Spices was established in the fall of 2013. We (Tony and Heather Peeters) had been making homemade spice blends for family and friends as Christmas gifts, thus the name Solstice Spices, since they were created around the Winter Solstice.
Tony grew up in a family that ran restaurants and bars in Wisconsin, learning to cook and present delicious meals. As an adult, he enhanced his skills as a chef working in fine dining restaurants in Colorado and Utah at night, allowing him to snowboard during the day.
Both of us developed a love for gardening from observing and helping our mothers and grandmothers tend to their gardens with pride.
When our son Brady was born in 2006, everything changed dramatically because he was diagnosed with several life-threatening food allergies. The food that had always been our passion became a danger to our baby.
As parents, we immersed ourselves in learning about food origins, earning an informal “degree” from the School of Hard Knocks called “Where Does Your Food Come From.” We began growing as much of our own food as possible and applied for a booth at the Murray Park Farmer’s Market in 2008. This marked the start of a long journey of discovery about farmers, food, the land, and the world we live in.
Breaking into the Farmer’s Market was challenging. Established vendors looked at us skeptically, and we struggled to grow enough produce to make it worthwhile. One thing we could consistently cultivate was fresh herbs. Not wanting any surplus to go to waste, we took advantage of Utah’s dry climate to air dry them.
Along the way, Heather obtained a job at a local family farm. This farm was much larger than what we were managing. Near the end of the season, there was an abundance of fruits, but insufficient time or labor to harvest it all. The farmer allowed us to pick whatever we wanted before the frost came. We returned home with a truck full of sweet and hot peppers.Tony carefully smoked and dried the peppers, then dehydrated onions and garlic from the farmers market to create a spice blend. The first blend was stored in a half-pint ball jar with holes drilled in the metal lid on top. We made a sticker with a sun design, called it Pizza Shaker, and sent it out as Christmas presents.
The following year, people started asking for more and even where they could buy it. In 2013, we made a significant investment in a professional logo and packaging. We also received our state licensing to sell our products and began bringing them to market.
In 2015, we entered into an agreement with a private landowner in Millcreek, Utah, and started farming two acres of land. This beautiful property allowed us to grow more produce than before and provided an opportunity to invite the community to share and learn about farming.
We began hosting farm-to-table dinners and found great joy in sharing our passion and giving people a chance to see the farm and understand the hard work involved. The community has embraced these events, which sell out every year through word of mouth, partly due to Tony’s delicious food and partly because of the enjoyable learning experience.
As our family continues to grow, we remain dedicated to creating Solstice Spices for our many fans. We appreciate your feedback about how essential our spices are to your cooking. We also plan to keep hosting our special events at surprise locations in the Salt Lake Valley.
We are grateful every day for your support, for our families, and for our community. It truly takes a village.
