DULUTH – The first location of The Spice & Tea Exchange in Minnesota opened Friday, October 14 in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Spice & Tea Exchange of Duluth offers a selection of 140 spices, 85+ handcrafted spices, 40+ loose-leaf teas, plus salts, sugars, gifts, and accessories.
Whether you’re new to the culinary scene or own a hospitality business, Spice Masters are here to help you find the perfect menu additions. Staff conduct live blending demonstrations throughout the day, and customers are welcome to open each jar to enjoy each flavor.
As the 86th location in The Spice & Tea Exchange’s statewide franchise network, it is one of three stores that Duluthians Dennis and Ashley Thielke plan to open statewide within the next two years. The couple plans to open a second store in Rochester by June 2023. A third location has not yet been determined. Purchases can also be made online at spiceandtea.com/duluth with free shipping on orders of $50 or more.
Prior to opening her own franchise business, Ashley served as an insurance agent for American Senior Benefits for 12 years and took pride in serving military veterans. Dennis worked for Johnson Brothers as a Certified Wine Specialist and has hosted hundreds of wine dinners with chefs and others in the restaurant industry over the past two decades. He started 10 years earlier as a buyer at grandma’s restaurant.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
Earlier last year, Dennis received some devastating news. He was diagnosed with human papillomavirus cancer at the age of 54. It was discovered after his surgeon recommended a closer look at the non-cancerous cyst on his neck, which revealed cancer on an underlying lymph node.
“HPV cancer is the second leading cause of death in men between the ages of 52 and 55,” Dennis said. “but there is a vaccine against it.”
Fearful of losing his sense of taste, Dennis underwent de-escalating radiation treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and was relieved to discover that the taste buds, which he uses to examine subtle facets and flaws in wines, remained intact after his cancer. Dennis wished there were healthier, tasty beverage options closer to the clinic for fellow cancer patients and their families.
Thinking back to a recent visit to Montana where the couple first entered a spice and tea exchange, Dennis recalled spending hours and hundreds of dollars at the store. The Thielkes even started opening their own franchise before cancer put their plans on hold.
“It was just what we needed at home, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it after the treatment,” Dennis said.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
After some encouragement from family and after reading the book Cancer Hates Tea, Dennis and Ashley decided to relive the dream.
“The path has chosen us. That’s what we were led to do,” Ashley said.
After retiring in June, Dennis entered the insurance world and merged his business with Ashley’s. The couple acquired a Farmer’s Insurance Agency, which opened in July, while also opening The Spice & Tea Exchange of Duluth in the other half of the building on West Superior Street in 1929. While the building was still owned by Toby Steiger of the JS Print Group, the printing facility moved to 500 E 10th St. last summer.
Among other services, their insurance business offers advice to restaurants on insurance, food and spirits licensing requirements, and of course, cancer insurance.
“The cancer treatment coverage is a really great policy and I’m grateful our company had it. It’s very important that people know that cancer insurance policies are out there. We had to live in Rochester for two and a half months. It made it doable so we didn’t get buried in debt,” Ashley said.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
The remaining funds were used to start The Spice & Tea Exchange of Duluth, Ashley said. Original plans to open on June 1st have been delayed due to permits, inspections, supply chain bottlenecks and labor issues. Converting the former JS Print Group location into The Spice & Tea Exchange proved a challenge.
“Who would have thought that if you were selling tea to go, you would have to put a grease trap in the lines?” he asked. “A big part of our challenge was to renovate to get water because we were going from a manufacturing building to a retail space.”
Finally, a 30-by-50-foot room will be added to the 1,000-square-foot storage area to house tea clubs for tastings and training events. The Spice & Tea Exchange can also partner with local restaurants or celebrity chefs for pop-up cooking classes, Dennis added.
“Spice & Tea Exchange’s mission is to create and share the experience of a tastier life,” said Dennis. “Tasting is key to get people trying new things.”
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
