Our Beginning
Starspice Ingredients Ltd, the specialist supplier of gin botanicals, herbs and spices, was founded in 2008 and has gone on to supply juniper berries and botanicals to many of the world’s foremost gin distillers alongside a wide range of herbs and spices for food and drink applications.
Prior to joining Starspice Ingredients, Jim Long worked in the global spirits world for over 20 years supporting the PR, marketing and product development of spirits brands, including the likes of Beefeater, Plymouth, Gordon’s and Tanquerary gins, and has served as a Board Director of The Gin Guild since 2016. He first view rows of juniper berries in hessian sacks at the Gordon's and Tanqueray gin distillery in Laindon, Essex, back in 1998. He has maintained close contacts with distillers across the spectrum of the UK and overseas booming distilling trade and remains a passionate advocate for the provenance and production of spirits brands and is a spirits judge at the Great Taste Awards.
Starspice was founded by David Carpenter with over 35 years experience in sourcing Gin botanicals, herbs, spices and exotic ingredients. Before setting up Starspice as a specialist importer and supplier to the UK food & drinks Industry, David held senior management posts at Kimpton Brothers, Evans Gray & Hood, B.E. International Foods, Enco Products and Donatantonio. Throughout his career David travelled extensively sourcing ingredients and enjoyed very close relationships with carefully selected suppliers and growers throughout the world. David took the decision to retire in 2019 and the business was acquired by Jim Long. Jim and David continued to travel to origins to meet suppliers and customers as Jim took on the full time reins.
Starspice offers a highly personal service to distillers alongside an unique understanding and respect for provenance, terroir, ethos at origin and specialised product knowledge combined with a keen and thorough appreciation of customer requirements. It has developed one of the most extensive botanical product lists, with access to over 250 botanicals, herbs and spices including key gin botanicals such as juniper berries, citrus peels, angelica roots, orris root powder and coriander seeds, in response to the renaissance in the distilling of gin, liqueurs, spirit drinks and non-alcoholic botanical drinks. Starspice imports gin botanicals from all over the world, including organic ingredients, from approved and carefully selected suppliers who enjoy modern processing facilities and exert rigorous quality control.
The development of Starspice to date is a testament to David’s expertise and experience, and continues under Jim’s ownership since 2019 to assist its customers with dynamic growth and innovation within the global spirit world. 2021 saw the founding of sister company Starspice Ingredients Ireland limited to service customers in the Republic of Ireland and the wider EU in a post-Brexit world.
Both Jim and David are members of The Gin Guild and the Worshipful Company of Distillers, and can credit both organisations in providing modern and relevant industry forums. In fact, The Gin Guild provided the key meeting points to discuss the development of Starspice and eventual ownership by Jim, and this is a testament to both organisations’ efforts to remain highly relevant to today’s gin and spirits industry.