Our Story
"In 2017, I started Paper & Pear, first as a blog and shortly thereafter as an Etsy shop. I was originally inspired to create a clean, simple collection of spice labels out of my own need to better organize my kitchen. My husband Josh and I both love to cook and started buying our spices in bulk at the local food co-op. Trying to reduce packaging waste and the environmental impact of what we ate was an important driver that led us to use refillable containers for our spices and pantry staples. I searched the internet for labels to organize our refillable jars, but couldn't find anything that combined the function and clean aesthetic I was looking for. As a designer myself, I decided to make my own. After receiving a lot of positive feedback on my spice jar labels shown in my blog posts of recipes I was making, as well as the labels I'd made for the homemade personal care products that I was selling on Etsy at the time, I transitioned from making labels for my products, to making labels as my product. In 2020, the time was right to expand beyond solo work. We are now thrilled to run a growing family business with the help of my sister, Mary, and my brothers-in-law, Jared and Joe. We work together from our home office in Minnesota, where we design, print, and package every order by hand. I'm thrilled that our labels have helped thousands of people around the world make their homes and pantries a bit more beautiful."
- Kim Negaard, Owner & Founder of Paper & Pear
