Vanilla Flavor Market and Applications
Vanilla isn’t just for ice cream anymore! While it conjures feelings of nostalgia and home-baked goods, we are finding many new uses for the product.
Mexico introduced vanilla to the world, but it is now grown throughout the tropics with Indonesia and Madagascar being the world’s biggest producers. While Mexico and Madagascar grow vanilla beans with the same genetic makeup, the beans from the different regions carry a different flavor profile. We expect more new patterns to emerge as production proliferates due to the popularity of vanilla. In Tanzania alone, there are over 5,000 farmers growing vanilla.
Traditional to Modern Vanilla Use as Flavor
You probably grew up to the taste and smell of vanilla in sweet dishes. While it has always had its distinctive flavor, we see it act as a flavor enhancer. Try adding a drop of vanilla to scrambled eggs, and watch the family gobble up breakfast in a hurry. It smoothes and balances the flavor of hot and spicy dishes, and enhances products such as salad dressing or meat sauce.
Elite chefs are using high-quality vanilla in main dishes, creatively incorporating it into seafood, meat dishes, and soups such as butternut squash. As consumers demand more natural ingredients and focus on health awareness, more and more grocery stores, gourmet stores, and department stores that carry food brands are stocking their shelves with over 200 different vanilla brands.
Vanilla in Personal Care
There is a growing trend in organic personal products, and vanilla has an aroma that conjures familiarity and softness. Foot cream and face scrub use vanilla beans and vanilla seeds, which provide double enhancements. It adds fragrance to the product while the ground particles act as scouring particles. Anti-aging creams use real vanilla in their list of ingredients. Of the 300 natural chemicals in vanilla beans, many of them have biological activity including anti-inflammatory or sunblock capability.
Household Uses for Vanilla
Consumers are continuing the trends for natural and organic products, and vanilla expresses these sentiments. Vanilla is added to cleaners, laundry detergents, and soaps as a fragrance by itself or in combination with other aromas such as lavender or cherry blossoms. Large corporations and small companies are adding these products to their repertoire.
Vanilla in Fragrances
Marketers can connect with consumers on two levels when vanilla is part of any of the 10,000 fragrances that exist. First is the familiarity of the aroma, since it is the single most recognizable fragrance or additive in the world. Secondly, consumers will associate vanilla with being close to nature.
The popularity of vanilla will continue to increase as new uses for the product grow. With more time spent at home, consumers are spending extra time in the kitchen creating new recipes, which will incorporate natural and organic vanilla products into various dishes. They will clean up after a meal with products made from vanilla, then turn into bed with creams imbued with the medicinal attributes of vanilla.