Perfumer's Corner
Welcome to the Flavorist's Corner!
Part IA new flavor is requested
For this exercise, we will take a very simple flavor k Wintergreen. Wintergreen is one of the simplest of flavors, and very easy to create. Any flavor that is based on a natural essential oil will have GC/MS data available on the internet. So the first thing I do is some research. What are the molecules that make up this essential oil? Wintergreen basically gets its flavor from a single molecule. Methyl Salicylate. This molecule is used in many products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and flavors. I have a small laboratory where I have many (many!) of the molecules used in the flavor and fragrance industry, so I can do lots of experimenting (which I love!) So I reach for the Methyl Salicylate and experiment with different dilution strengths and different carriers. I follow the guidelines that are established for this molecule’s use in flavors and taste test in Cool Whip (my favorite) Now Now Don't get all worried!!! Of course these experiments are not what appears on our website for sampling or for sale k read on! To continue, another very simple flavor is Spearmint. If you look at a GC/MS (you can google it!), you will find that it is mostly Carvone. What is really interesting about Carvone is that it has two ’isomers’ (mirror images) and each one smells and tastes completely different! L-Carvone (laevo) is the one that is spearmint, and D-Carvone (dextro) is caraway. Same shape molecule (just reversed) but our senses interpret them differently. Cool, huh! Granted, spearmint and wintergreen flavors are very simple examples so in reality there is not much to experiment with. Other flavors can be a lot more complex, like vanillas and chocolates.
Next step:
I co-ordinate with the flavor chemists at the Private Label company I buy my flavors from, and arrange a sample (usually about 4oz) of the new flavor to be sent to me for evaluation. These are professionally produced and adhere to very strict guidelines.
I have several options open to me when requesting new flavors from them.
a) I can send them a sample of what I would like them to produce (something I’ve blended here), or
b) I could provide them with a formula (that they check for adherence to standards) or
c) I can just request a sample that they have designed based on my description of what is needed. This is the most common route since I don’t have as much time for research as I would like.
Also, sometimes a customer will send me a sample of a flavor they would like me to carry, and I can send it on to the chemists for duplicating, but this is rare.
It is really great to have the flexibility of being able to experiment on my own, but also know that I can rely on them to supply me with samples that are Food Safe!
I blend up many of the flavors on my website right here in my lab, for use in demonstrations, private workshops, and the occasional pilgrim who travels here for a peek at what we do. It's a lot of fun to blend up a complete formula right in front of someone, who then gets to see (and smell) how the different ingredients each lend a part to the whole.
I am often asked about the simple flavors, why don't I just blend them up and sell them instead of getting them from a flavor manufacturer? I tell them there are many good reasons, but the reason everyone can connect with is MONEY!
I simply can not buy the ingredients to make flavors in the same bulk quantities that my much larger partner companies can buy in. I actually work with 3 different flavor manufacturers; none of them sell retail to the general public. Sometimes one of them will have a better price on a certain type of flavor than the others. As an example, below is a link to the listing for Methyl Salicylate (the molecule for Wintergreen, remember?) from one of my raw materials suppliers. Notice the big per-kilo price difference between the 1 kilo size and the 250 kg size! The larger the flavor manufacturer is, then the bigger bulk size they can purchase raw materials in, and the bigger discount they get. This discount gets passed to me when I buy their finished flavors!
http://www.vigoninternational.com/methyl-salicylate-extra-pure.aspx
Actually, my flavor manufacturing partners are large enough that they would not even be buying from Vigon, who is a distributor. They would be buying direct from raw materials manufacturers like IFF (International Flavors and Fragrance) and others, who are so big that they would not sell anything at all to a little peanut like me! Bottom line; in general, the larger the flavor manufacturer that I buy from, the better the flavor pricing is.
Makes sense?
This is how I can price my flavors very reasonably.
Coming next: Part II - Inside a flavor formula (or two) and more about flavor manufacturing.
Part III will be advice for small businesses, including how to get a Health Permit. We have learned some valuable tips along the way.