Coming from a family of home cooks and bakers, sisters Maria and Eva Konecsny were looking for a venture that would satisfy their creative flair and express their values. After a fortuitous trip back to their homeland, Germany, the sisters discovered and fell in love with the local tea and spice houses and were inspired to bring the concept to Australia. In the beginning, Maria and Eva struggled to get a lease as no one believed you could do business selling spices. However, they finally secured a lease in Carlton, Melbourne, where the sisters took over a lease from a gelato shop and slowly transformed it into a spice store over a few months. From launching in 2010, the business has boomed with 12 stores across Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra, offering more than 300 single-origin spices, herbs, salts, peppers, teas and sugars from around the world.
Tell us about your organisation and your role within it.
“We founded Gewürzhaus in 2010 together with our mother, Gabi. We saw a gap in the market for premium, self-scoop spices and got to work creating our concept and brand. We opened the first store in Carlton and now have 12 stores around Australia. We are both working mothers committed to balancing work and family. We have a team of over 100 employees across the head office and our stores, allowing us to dedicate 2-3 days a week to the business. Eva focuses on creative direction, leasing and new stores, whilst Maria has the role of managing director, leading the executive team.”
What inspired you to start your business?
“While holidaying in our country of birth, Germany, and visited some fantastic tea and spice stores. We loved the idea of bringing this to Australia. Coming from a lineage of cooks and bakers, opening a spice store felt like a natural progression and something that excited us both. After working across several industries beforehand, we saw this as an opportunity to be creative, a tangible vocation that allowed us to blend tradition, family and our love of food.”
What do you consider to be your organisation’s key strengths?
“Everyone who works at Gewürzhaus love what we do and care about our mission to inspire and nurture cooking at home for generations to come. Our values permeate everything we do, from spice recipe creation to customer relationships, marketing and more. Our teams love food and cooking, so our conversations with customers are genuine, informative and inspiring. In addition, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding products – our spice blends make cooking at home more accessible and more delicious.”
Immerse yourself instore at Gewürzhaus Spice House in Canberra Centre (Shop DF19) or shop online at gewurzhaus.com.au
For more information on sponsored partnerships, click here.
