Takasago & Vanilla

From these extracts, we apply our excellence in consumer insights, our global strength in flavor creation, and our knowledge of regional applications to deliver great-tasting vanilla flavor solutions.

Consumer Insights & Market Research

By coupling a wide array of proprietary tools with our solid expertise in psychophysiological research, Takasago’s Consumer Insights & Market Research (CIMR) team discovers consumer needs, guides the creation of our flavor products, and validates them as consumer-preferred. When it comes to vanilla, Takasago CIMR understands that consumers’ taste preference for vanilla-flavored foods and beverages must be mapped regularly in order to be fully understood.

Takasago has been an industry leader in consumer insights and market research for years and we take great pride in the knowledge and expertise of our CIMR team. We are ready to put our expertise to work for you on vanilla flavors for new product launches, extensions and LTOs that will have your target consumers asking for more.

La Vanille T  Extracts

Our exclusive brand of vanilla extract, La Vanille T , is what makes Takasago’s industry-leading vanilla flavors possible. The La Vanille T  logomark is a sign of quality representing our full complement of excellence in vanilla.

Beginning with a local presence in Madagascar, a source of the world’s most valued vanilla beans, Takasago has complete vertical integration. We source beans grown in the traditional method and process vanilla extract directly at our local manufacturing plant, including customizations to meet customer-specific regulatory requirements. We focus on quality, safety, and respect for the community to ensure traceability and sustainability. Madagascar-based vertical integration gives us strong market intelligence and enables us to address factors that influence supply.

In addition to working with thousands of local planters and collectors to source vanilla, we have also established Takasago Madagascar, a joint venture with Ramanandraibe, one of the largest and best-known vanilla producers in Madagascar. This joint venture combines 30-plus years of Ramanandraibe’s local expertise in vanilla farming and processing with Takasago’s global leadership in extract and flavor production, which maximizes our potential in vanilla. Together, we even have our own research plantation, a 60-hectare land plot located in the Sava region.

Learn more about our vanilla growers, sustainable sourcing, and production process of our exclusive brand of vanilla extract, La Vanille T.

Vanilla Flavors 

Since Takasago is vertically integrated, we are dedicated to creating vanilla flavor profiles from the major growing regions around the world that deliver the taste nuances consumers prefer. Our portfolio includes some of the best tasting Natural WONF, Natural Type, and N&A Vanilla Flavors available anywhere in the world. In addition, we offer a wide range of vanilla solutions like vanilla extract extenders that work perfectly in combination with our La Vanille T  extracts.

Our vanilla flavors are available in liquid (water-soluble and oil-soluble) and in dry forms, suited to a very broad range of applications ranging from cookies to ice creams, baked goods, creamers, yogurts, and beverages. Our regulatory experts are well versed in the requirements of each nation and are available to work with customers on labeling and other regulatory challenges.

Creations

Takasago has flavor development centers in eight countries across North America, South America, Europe and Asia that are dedicated to creating flavors that are both regulatory compliant and consumer preferred. La Vanille T  is the foundation upon which our flavorists create the highest quality vanilla flavors and vanilla extract extenders.

Sensory

Using in-house team members and consumer evaluation panels, Takasago vanilla flavors undergo thorough testing to identify and define their sensorial characteristics. We approach sensory from both the physiological and psychological perspectives, since the attributes of taste and smell are often subjective.

Takasago’s external and internal research is coordinated through our creative center in Zülpich, Germany. As a global leader in the vanilla extracts and flavors market, Takasago is working diligently to develop innovative vanilla products and solutions for our customers. Our network of experts around the world work together to deliver global vanilla solutions.

Madagascar

When we say we are local, we mean it! Takasago has its own production plant in the maritime port of Toamasina, where the production of master extracts begins. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art IT and QC infrastructure, which allows our vanilla experts to provide traceability on-the-fly during purchasing, inventory and production processes.

Takasago is committed to the long-term support of the vanilla crop and the Madagascans who maintain it. We have helped ensure the water supply is clean and safe and are working hard to reduce our carbon footprint. With the help of our local partner, we have established long-term cooperative partnerships to ensure our supply of vanilla is socially and environmentally sustainable. We diligently support small farmers and disadvantaged producers and invest in local education. We also practice pre-financing, which supports the local economy and encourages planters to harvest beans only when fully mature. We always ensure we pay a fair price for all the types of beans we purchase, making sure no planter is discriminated against.

Takasago’s vanilla beans are certified by Madagascar authorities to be natural, Bourbon quality and free from pesticides. We can also perform Stable Isotope Analytics on batches of our extracts to confirm the beans’ origin and label them as Bourbon.

Takasago’s purchasing strategy combines supply from both the green and bulk markets, which allows us to rationalize the entire process with respect to standards for bean quality, reception procedure, inventory and production management systems.