Subscribers Ditch Penzeys After Spicy Anti-Republican Sale

WAUWATOSA, WI — Wauwatosa-based spice retailer Penzeys' "Republicans Are Racist" sale left a bad taste in some consumer's mouths, resulting in a drop in email subscribers, the company's CEO said last month.

He's asking customers to buy gift cards to offset a conservative boycott.

On Jan. 14 — Martin Luther King Jr. weekend — Penzeys Spices sent out an email advertisement with the subhead, "Cheese off racists for free." The email included an offer of a free half-cup jar of spice with a $10 purchase. Customers could also get a set of heart-shaped sticks with the Black lives Matter logo free with a purchase.

"They've earned our respect," the advertisement said.

The ad was signed by company CEO Bill Penzey, and resulted in a call to boycott the spice business.

On Jan. 28, Bill Penzey posted an update to Facebook, saying "Republican's nonsense" had caused the company to lose 40,005 unsubscribes from its Voice of Cooking email list. It also brought in about 30,000 new subscribers, he said.

"We’ve set a nice little Boycott Penzeys! surge in motion," Penzey said. "It certainly wasn’t unexpected, but if it’s within your means, you picking up a small stack of Gift Cards would help."

"This might make it a bit easier for you to share some and possibly get a few good new customers to replace the ones we’ve lost," the company's chief executive added.

The spice retailer has 53 locations across the country, with 12 in Wisconsin, including Brookfield, Greenfield, Milwaukee and Wauwatosa. The Wauwatosa store is located at 12001 W. Capitol Dr.