Vanilla is loved by almost everyone, everywhere. Adopted by different regions and cultures in subtly different ways, it’s a key ingredient in everything from cereal to Michelin-starred cuisine, and its popularity shows no sign of declining.
Our passion for vanilla has grown over 140 years. From first synthesizing vanilla in 1874 to developing our own sustainable supply chain in Madagascar, vanilla is a constant source of inspiration to us. Today, we create vanilla flavor-solutions for thousands of products across the globe.
One of the world’s most valuable spices, vanilla is not only prized because of the labor and passion that goes into its cultivation, but also for its versatility. Whether it’s adding depth of flavor to a premium chocolate bar or bringing creamy undertones to aperitifs, no two uses of vanilla are ever identical. This is one of the reasons it’s so popular world over, and is why understanding regional preferences, trends and markets is vital when it comes to creating flavor solutions that translate into successful products.
From conducting regional insight studies to speaking to the thousands of chefs that make up the global network of chefs, Chefs United®, we’re constantly working to understand what consumers want, what the next trends will be and the role technology will play in future flavor directions. We also send our flavorists and chefs around the world, from markets to our regional development kitchens, giving them access to new sources of inspiration and enabling them to bring their new discoveries into products that delight consumers everywhere.
When it comes to taste, people’s preferences are wonderfully diverse, formed by their own experiences, where they live and the communities they live in. From rich and creamy to subtle and aromatic, pinpointing the ideal vanilla flavor begins with knowing who will be doing the tasting.
of the world’s vanilla is used in the US, Germany and France
consumer spending will rise by 43% to $12trillion between 2010 and 2020
13 urban hot spots where Symrise is carrying out research into the latest sweet trends
Knowing what works
The only way to know what it is that delights consumers is to immerse yourself in their world. This is exactly what our marketing and evaluation teams do, every day.
When it comes to sweet treats, we all like to indulge every now and then. But when you’re deciding what to treat yourself to, have you ever thought about what’s influencing your choices? Is it finding the right nutritional balance? Or are you looking for pure indulgence? Most likely, you make your choice without consciously thinking about why you pick one thing over another. It’s that unconscious choice that we’re fascinated by.
“One of my favorite aspects of my role here at Symrise is that it brings me full circle,” says Gaelle Dami, Director Global Marketing Communication, Food & Beverage. “I’m inspired by the products I see on the shelves of stores, and then through the work we do here, I’m able to influence what actually ends up on those shelves. We’re always looking for the next big thing, and then working on how we can turn that into a real product consumers will love.”
“One of the other big areas of focus is product evaluation. This is a great part of my role as I really love sweet things – I think I would die for chocolate! When we get a brief from a customer, we’ll taste their existing products to get a sense of their signature taste, and to identify any gaps in their current offering. We also always taste anything new that’s come to market – there is always something you can learn. Even with a classic taste like vanilla, something that for almost all of us evokes great memories of childhood, favorite desserts, chocolate or ice cream, there are millions of possibilities. I’m always looking for perfection, but the fun of my job is that the search is endless.”
We always taste anything new that’s come to market – there is always something you can learn. Even with a classic taste like vanilla, something that for almost all of us evokes great memories of childhood, favorite desserts, chocolate or ice cream, there are millions of possibilities.
When it comes to sweet treats, we all like to indulge every now and then. But when you’re deciding what to treat yourself to, have you ever thought about what’s influencing your choices? Is it finding the right nutritional balance? Or are you looking for pure indulgence? Most likely, you make your choice without consciously thinking about why you pick one thing over another. It’s that unconscious choice that we’re fascinated by.
“One of my favorite aspects of my role here at Symrise is that it brings me full circle,” says Gaelle Dami, Director Global Marketing Communication, Food & Beverage. “I’m inspired by the products I see on the shelves of stores, and then through the work we do here, I’m able to influence what actually ends up on those shelves. We’re always looking for the next big thing, and then working on how we can turn that into a real product consumers will love.”
“In a nutshell, what we do is translate consumer and markets needs and trends into winning taste solutions for our customers. But doing that requires huge amounts of knowledge and teamwork, both between our interdisciplinary teams here and also with our customers and our research and insight teams across the globe.”
“One of the most important things we do is to monitor ever-changing global consumer trends so that we can respond quickly to emerging consumer preferences, and even predict these before they become mass-market trends,” Jan continues. “As well as working with our colleagues around the world, we run insight studies and work with trend hunters. We’re always asking; ‘What’s going on in the streets? What’s driving the first influencers in a market?’ You need local insight to know what will work in a specific market. Trend hunters give us this, speaking to food bloggers, restaurants, cafes, experts… everyone really. Trends and ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere.”
“This sort of research is very proactive, and means we can offer our customers valuable insight into what consumers want. But of course, that’s only one side of the story. In the world of sweet treats, we’ve identified four key areas: natural goodness, healthy treats, premium indulgence and emotional discoveries. However, these four areas are not separate at all in consumers’ minds; many times they overlap. For example, health conscious consumers also often want natural products, and there is an increasing interest in the provenance of products. They want to know that the treat they are enjoying hasn’t come at the expense of the people involved in its production.”
“We need to be able to offer our customers solutions that meet these needs. When it comes to our vanilla competence, our holistic approach means we can not only offer traceability, sustainability and a secured supply, but we can also offer customers new marketing opportunities. We can talk about the shared value we’re creating for the communities we work with in Madagascar, allowing consumers to choose products they not only enjoy, but that they also know have been created fairly and ethically. This is particularly important as vanilla fits into all four of the key trend areas we’ve identified.”
“One of the other big areas of focus is product evaluation. This is a great part of my role as I really love sweet things – I think I would die for chocolate! When we get a brief from a customer, we’ll taste their existing products to get a sense of their signature taste, and to identify any gaps in their current offering. We also always taste anything new that’s come to market – there is always something you can learn. Even with a classic taste like vanilla, something that for almost all of us evokes great memories of childhood, favorite desserts, chocolate or ice cream, there are millions of possibilities. I’m always looking for perfection, but the fun of my job is that the search is endless.”
“We always taste anything new that’s come to market – there is always something you can learn. Even with a classic taste like vanilla, something that for almost all of us evokes great memories of childhood, favorite desserts, chocolate or ice cream, there are millions of possibilities.”
Beyond taste
While it’s vanilla’s flavor that makes it so popular, we know that consumers are driven by more than just their taste buds. In recent years we’ve seen a huge increase in demand for Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and organic products, and we’re perfectly positioned to help our customers meet this demand.
We all love a little indulgence, but not if we think there is a risk that our moment of pleasure has come at the expense of something else. From Fairtrade to Rainforest Alliance certified products, consumers are increasingly choosing products that they can feel confident didn’t cost the earth, or the people who produced the taste they love.
Some of our large partners, for example, offer organically grown or fairly traded products. Another partner focuses on products certified by the Rainforest Alliance. We offer every customer the vanilla product that best suits their brands and products.
Finding a way to combine insight with inspiration is essential to meeting the present and future needs of our customers. For us, the complexity of consumer preference is just another source of inspiration.
There’s a growing global demand for adventurous and different food trends. Those driving this change are the Millennials. Born between 1982 and 1988, there are now over 2 billion Millennials globally, with 86% living in emerging markets. As the first truly connected generation, Millennials expect to be able to discover a world of flavor with ease, looking for new food experiences and ways to express their individuality.
In collaboration with some of the most high-profile Millennial food experts and social media influencers we worked to imagine new varieties of vanilla. These new types of vanilla are totally different to the ‘classic’ vanilla consumers know and love. With a focus placed on surprising and intriguing flavor profiles, this is vanilla to excite and surprise, with flavors ranging from rich and savory to raw and earthy.
For Millennials, enjoying their favorite food is about more than flavor. Multi-sensory experiences that appeal to Millennials’ experimentation are sought out, with color, shape, and texture all the focus of a growing food trend. There is also a strong emphasis on healthy products, with positive nutrition and ingredients to enhance wellbeing becoming a lifestyle that many are willing to pay for.
A global perspective
Chefs United®, the largest network of its kind, bring together chefs from every continent and from the entire culinary network – giving us access to what it is that different consumers want across the world. We asked some the chefs to share their favorite regional vanilla recipes with us.
These fried sesame balls are a very traditional recipe in Beijing cuisine. I’ve added vanilla in my version to update them for modern tastes; something many Chinese chefs are doing to traditional recipes as our flavour preferences change.
If you literally translate ‘Kai Kou Xiao’ it means ‘open mouth laughing’: ‘kai kou’ means to open your mouth, while ‘kou xiao’ can be translated as ‘be merry’ or ‘have a good laugh’. The balls are said to symbolize happiness as the cracks in the surface of each ball once cooked looks like a smile. Laughing is said to be good for digestion and to bring good luck to the table and in the year ahead, which is why these balls are a very popular dish in Chinese New Year celebrations. So have a go at the recipe below and eat, drink and be merry!
If you’ve ever been to a birthday party, had afternoon tea or even a morning coffee in Australia, chances are you’ve encountered a Lamington.
Named after Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland from 1896-1901, the invention of these seemingly simple cakes is the stuff of legend. Some versions say one of the Lord’s maids dropped a cake, and then covered it in melted chocolate and coconut to hide the mistake. Another says the iconic icing was the result of Lord Lamington’s chef disguising a stale cake when asked to prepare tea for guests at short notice. There are dozens of stories, but whatever the truth, the cake was such a hit guests asked for the recipe, which was later included in the Queensland Ladies Home Journal as ’Lady-Lamington’s Chocolate Coconut Cake’. Today we just call them Lamingtons, but they remain as delicious and as popular as ever.
Mézes Krémes translates literally as ‘creamy honey’ and is very similar to another Hungarian dish, Krémes, which also uses a vanilla flavored filling. The difference with Mézes Krémes, as the name suggests, is that the biscuit or pastry layer uses honey, giving the cakes a delicious flavour.
The cake is also sometimes called the Hungarian Honey Cake and is one of our most popular traditional dishes. This version uses both vanilla and cocoa, giving it just the right amount of sweetness and making it the perfect accompaniment for afternoon tea or a coffee break.
These fried sesame balls are a very traditional recipe in Beijing cuisine. I’ve added vanilla in my version to update them for modern tastes; something many Chinese chefs are doing to traditional recipes as our flavour preferences change.
If you literally translate ‘Kai Kou Xiao’ it means ‘open mouth laughing’: ‘kai kou’ means to open your mouth, while ‘kou xiao’ can be translated as ‘be merry’ or ‘have a good laugh’. The balls are said to symbolize happiness as the cracks in the surface of each ball once cooked looks like a smile. Laughing is said to be good for digestion and to bring good luck to the table and in the year ahead, which is why these balls are a very popular dish in Chinese New Year celebrations. So have a go at the recipe below and eat, drink and be merry!
If you’ve ever been to a birthday party, had afternoon tea or even a morning coffee in Australia, chances are you’ve encountered a Lamington.
Named after Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland from 1896-1901, the invention of these seemingly simple cakes is the stuff of legend. Some versions say one of the Lord’s maids dropped a cake, and then covered it in melted chocolate and coconut to hide the mistake. Another says the iconic icing was the result of Lord Lamington’s chef disguising a stale cake when asked to prepare tea for guests at short notice. There are dozens of stories, but whatever the truth, the cake was such a hit guests asked for the recipe, which was later included in the Queensland Ladies Home Journal as ’Lady-Lamington’s Chocolate Coconut Cake’. Today we just call them Lamingtons, but they remain as delicious and as popular as ever.
Mézes Krémes translates literally as ‘creamy honey’ and is very similar to another Hungarian dish, Krémes, which also uses a vanilla flavored filling. The difference with Mézes Krémes, as the name suggests, is that the biscuit or pastry layer uses honey, giving the cakes a delicious flavour.
The cake is also sometimes called the Hungarian Honey Cake and is one of our most popular traditional dishes. This version uses both vanilla and cocoa, giving it just the right amount of sweetness and making it the perfect accompaniment for afternoon tea or a coffee break.
The pace of changing consumer preferences has never been quicker. Add to that the variety of tastes between regions, and you can see why it takes a global perspective informed by local knowledge to stay one step ahead.
Access all areas
Taste is an intensely personal thing. The only way to know what it is that makes a people in a particular region or market excited, is to experience it first-hand. That’s where Chefs United® comes in.
The next big foodie trend could be just around the corner. But knowing which corner, and where exactly it is in the world, means you need to combine local insight with global coverage. Chefs United® is our way of doing just that. From South Korea to Los Angeles, we’ve got our ear to the ground.
Made up of more than 31,000 chefs from across the globe, the Chefs United® network covers every angle of the culinary world, from high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants to street food stalls and beloved local cafes. The chefs are brought together under the experienced award-wining chef Gianfranco Chiarini, a giant of the culinary world and the founder of this vital Symrise brand.
With this unique culinary compass, we develop flavors together with our customers that perfectly suit the tastes of the consumers’ projects.
We believe that this local knowledge is absolutely crucial to our success, and the success of the flavor solutions and products we create for our customers. In a world where consumer preferences and trends and emerging and disappearing faster than ever, access to meaningful and authentic local insight is one of the only ways to stay one step ahead of what it is consumers want.
The next big foodie trend could be just around the corner. But knowing which corner, and where exactly it is in the world, means you need to combine local insight with global coverage. Chefs United® is our way of doing just that. From South Korea to Los Angeles, we’ve got our ear to the ground.
Made up of more than 31,000 chefs from across the globe, the Chefs United® network covers every angle of the culinary world, from high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants to street food stalls and beloved local cafes. The chefs are brought together under the experienced, award-wining chef Gianfranco Chiarini, a giant of the culinary world and the founder of this vital Symrise brand.
The global network provides us with exclusive and direct access to culinary insights and findings from chefs working around the world. They provide information on local preferences, preparation methods, trends and tastes, meaning we can then use this information during product development and shares these insights with our customers. By working in this way, we’re able to offer a unique service whether we’re supporting our customers with the development of a new flavor, or working with them to take an established brand in a new direction.
The depth of knowledge from Chefs United® enables us to assist our customers at an early stage in their product development and over the long term. With this unique culinary compass, we develop flavors together with our customers that perfectly suit the tastes of the consumers’ projects.
We believe that this local knowledge is absolutely crucial to our success, and the success of the flavor solutions and products we create for our customers. In a world where consumer preferences and trends are emerging and disappearing faster than ever, access to meaningful and authentic local insight is one of the only ways to stay one step ahead of what it is consumers want.
It also means we can continue to surprise and delight our customers with new ideas – there is always something new to learn, no matter where you are in the world.
140 years and counting…
We’ve been pioneers in the world of vanilla for decades, but our passion for this incredible spice is as strong as ever and we know there is always more work to do, more to learn and something new just around the corner that will delight customers and consumers.
“Every day I’m inspired by my colleagues and our customers,” says Bernhard Kott, Chief Sustainability Officer at Symrise. “Working with them to create amazing solutions, explore new ideas and challenge the status quo is one of the best things about my role. The challenge of optimizing commercial performance and delivering great taste is something our global teams embrace. I find the teamwork here brings out the best in everyone; it refuels the imagination, and means we can go the extra mile to delight consumers and customers.”
