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Variety is the spice of life, but the Badia family would like to keep the status quo.  At least, that’s when it comes to their Aspen home.  Joseph A. Badia, the spice magnate whose products

line shelves across America, bought out his Aspen neighbor’s $37.3 million teardown in order to preserve his own property’s natural beauty, the Wall Street Journal reported.  EXPLORE MORE

The sale spans about 21 acres, including one vacant house and planning permission for two new 15,000-square-foot mansions.  Badia’s neighbor, former Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, bought the

properties in 2020 with plans to build a family compound, the Journal reported. Badia and his wife Nancy purchased the neighboring six-bedroom house on 10 acres just last year for $18.5

million. AJ Morris and Craig Morris of Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty represented Badia. The magnate’s decision to snap up Claure’s splittable estate was to prevent its

development, AJ told the outlet. “They did not want massive spec homes being built right next to their house that would impact their views tremendously, and also have a very negative impact

on the natural beauty and elk migratory path,” AJ said.  Claure, founder and CEO of Claure Group, purchased his scenic swath of land back in 2020. The Bolivian-American entrepreneur

ultimately listed the property for $45 million in 2023 after his changing his plans for a family compound, according to the Journal. Claure sold a different Aspen home for $18.5 million in

the same year. The Badias’ acquisition of Claure’s property encompasses two parcels. One spans 10.5 acres and contains an existing 11,000-square-foot dwelling, plus plans for a new

seven-bedroom property. The other, a 10.8-acre piece of land, comes with plans for a five-bedroom home and equestrian facilities. The plans on offer made the listing especially valuable,

given the surrounding county’s restrictions on development, seller’s broker Brittanie Rockhill told the Journal at the time of listing. Badia’s father started the Florida-based Badia Spices

empire in 1967. The company manufactures and distributes spices, blends and sauces and more. Badia was acquired by the investment firm Bia Foods with BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank,

in 2024. AJ Morris told the Journal that the Badia family has no present plans to build on their new property, but Badia did purchase the development rights from Claure for under $4

million. Claure’s listing agent Brittanie Rockhill of Douglas Elliman declined to comment. Claure and Badia could not be reached for comment.