Vanilla is the most popular flavor in the world. You truly cannot beat a delicious dish of creamy vanilla ice cream. It outsells all others, and on July 23rd, we salute the king of all ice creams on National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, part of National Ice Cream Month. Though its roots remain mysterious, some attribute the holiday to Thomas Jefferson, who in the 1780s notably first recorded a recipe for homemade vanilla ice cream, one of the earliest written recipes in American history, according to the National Day Calendar.
With over 100 years of experience in vanilla extraction, Weber Flavors can help you build the perfect high-quality and cost-effective vanilla flavor. It’s our signature specialty!
While all vanilla extracts must start with the same basic ingredients: Vanilla Beans, Alcohol, and Water, the flavor profiles of vanilla extracts and flavors are as varied as the products in which they are used. Starting with only the very best traditionally sun-cured vanilla beans, our exclusive Whol-Bean™ extraction process is distinctive in its equipment and procedure, resulting in the unmatched rich, strong, pure vanilla character of our extracts. This one-of-a-kind method, perfected from over 100 years of experience crafting exceptional vanilla extracts, ensures the highest measure of aromatic integrity and pure vanilla flavor profile.
Pure Vanilla Extracts are available in SINGLE-FOLD, TWO-FOLD and THREE-FOLD varieties. These vanilla extracts create the building blocks for other vanilla-based flavors and extract blends, including Vanilla Pastes, Vanilla WONFs and Natural and Artificial Vanilla Flavors.
Bourbon Vanilla – Bourbon vanilla beans come primarily from the island of Madagascar and the West Indian islands of Réunion and Comoros. About 80% of the world’s vanilla beans come from the Madagascar region. Most experts consider Bourbon extract to be the premium of pure vanilla extracts. The flavor profile is rich, with a full bouquet – delicate, sweet, creamy, and pleasant.
Indonesian Vanilla – This archipelago is the second-largest producer of vanilla beans, accounting for approximately 15% of the world market. High quality Indonesian (sometimes referred to as Java) beans produce a vanilla extract with a smoky, woody flavor character. While sometimes considered harsh, Indonesian vanilla shines in applications where vanilla really needs to stand out from other competing flavors.
Other Vanilla Sources – Weber Flavors also extracts small amounts of Tahitian, Mexican, and other geographically-sourced vanilla beans, though they are available on a limited basis. While Mexico is where the vanilla orchid originates, very little of the world market is now produced there, and the quality can be quite variable. Tahitian beans are known for their highly floral and perfumy character, and are most often used in the fragrance rather than the food industry. Papua New Guinea is a rising producer of both Tahitian-type and Indonesian-type vanilla beans.
Vanilla Extract Alternatives
When a challenging vanilla market arises, you can rely on Weber Flavors to provide you with quality alternatives to pure vanilla extracts. Natural flavor alternatives are a great option to stretch your vanilla supply without compromising flavor quality and integrity. Our master chemists have developed Natural Vanilla Flavors, Natural Vanilla WONF, and Natural and Artificial alternatives to each of our distinctive pure vanilla extracts. These alternatives can offer both cost-savings and price-stability in a volatile vanilla market without sacrificing quality flavor.
