Firmenich Enriches Vanilla Palette With Sustainable and Cost-Effective Natural Tonalities

05 May 2017 --- Firmenich has introduced a new range of sustainable and cost-effective natural vanilla solutions, to best support its customers in mitigating the impact of the Madagascar cyclone and the current record-high vanilla prices. The Flavor House has extended its natural vanilla range by diversifying its sources of origin to include Uganda, Indonesia and India, as well as, by developing innovative solutions from alternative natural sources. 

“With vanilla being the most popular flavor in the world, we immediately put our innovation to work to best support our customers to respond to today’s market scarcity and record prices,” said Chris Millington, President Flavors, Firmenich. “By rethinking our entire vanilla palette, we developed a unique range of natural flavors that offer an authentic taste profile, while meeting the market’s expectations for “clean” label and “natural”.”

“Firmenich has the largest palette of vanilla from different origins and processes and uses this to create a full spectrum of taste profiles including tailor-made extracts and signature natural vanilla flavors,” said Benoit Petit, Vice President, End-to-End Naturals, Firmenich Flavors. “As prices continue to rise due to the recent Cyclone Enawo, our broad range of natural solutions from vanilla extracts from various origins, to natural flavors, are more relevant than ever to delight our customers and their consumers.”

Petit spoke with FoodIngredientsFirst: “Today, the biggest challenge facing the Vanilla industry is continued reliance on Madagascar for vanilla beans which has experienced successive years of poor crop and very recently a major cyclone that has impacted 20 – 25% of the crop according to estimations. The picking of immature beans is also a concern, as farmers strive to save their crop. Such immature picking, approximately 4 months from maturation will impact quality, in terms of lower vanillin content.”

“Moving forward, the main challenge is to ensure a long-term stable supply of high quality vanilla beans. That’s why at Firmenich we have a long a history of partnering with our vanilla stakeholders such as in Uganda and Madagascar, to ensure the most traceable, ethical and sustainable value chain for the farmers and their communities.”

The Group has a history of partnering with its vanilla stakeholders such as in Uganda and Madagascar, to ensure the most traceable, ethical and sustainable value chain for the farmers and their communities. To scale up its impact Firmenich is an active member of the Sustainable Vanilla Initiative (SVI) dedicated to improving vanilla bean farmers’ livelihoods, as well as assuring the long-term stable supply of high quality vanilla beans.

In light of the rising vanilla pod prices, Firmenich is exploring new business models and sharing innovation to turn today’s vanilla challenges into opportunities for its network of farmers in Uganda and Madagascar. Focus areas include the selection of crop varieties, crop rotation, soil management, all the way to promoting alternative cropping and reinforcing farming trainings.

Amit Sachdev, Vice President Global Flavor Purchasing & Americas, Purchasing, told FoodIngredientsFirst: “Prices are currently above $600 per kilo in Madagascar and we expect prices to remain high in the near future. Of course these high prices are not sustainable long-term and prices will come down, however it is difficult to predict exactly when, as it depends on multiple variables, such as overall demand, climate and quality of the harvest.”

He added: “Sustainable vanilla farming is critical to ensure a long-term stable supply of high quality vanilla beans. It takes between three and four years for the vines to produce beans, therefore securing farmer’s long-term commitment to the crop can only be ensured through a sustainable approach.”

“Firmenich has the largest palette of vanilla from different origins and processes and uses this to create a full spectrum of taste profiles including tailor-made extracts and signature natural vanilla flavors. We are currently exploring other vanilla alternatives in order to delight our customers and their consumers.” he explains.

Responsible Sourcing in Uganda In 2008, Firmenich established one of the first public-private partnerships for responsible sourcing in the flavor and fragrance industry with Danida, the development arm of the Danish Government, which has a long-standing relationship with Uganda and Uvan Ltd., Uganda’s largest vanilla producer. This three-way partnership creates a sustainable supply of Ugandan vanilla beans through the education of more than 4,000 farmers on improved farming practices, as well as the implementation of social programs to improve living conditions of the farming communities.

Responsible Sourcing in Madagascar With a long-established presence in Madagascar since 2005, Firmenich has developed a privileged partnership with Authentic, a member of our Naturals Together program, with the Savanille cooperative, representing 2,800 vanilla farmers across 38 villages. To best support the Savanille community, based on their input; and in collaboration with Authentic, Firmenich has:

• Built 43 wells for drinking water, impacting 12,500 family members
• Established a local school, and, in 2016 opened six more classrooms, benefitting 300 additional children
• Set-up three plant nurseries for crop diversification
• Added 24 pilot rice crops to help combat deforestation; integrating this food crop has enabled the community to produce rice for four consecutive years
• Built a medical dispensary, serving 50 patients a week and supporting 40 births in 2016

by Elizabeth Green

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