It almost goes without saying that consumers have created a wave of change in the traditional product development paradigm. In nearly all product categories, consumer demand for natural ingredients and products is rising. “Naturalness” is one of the most important drivers of purchase and consumption and it is also one of the most important factors consumers identify that makes a product trustworthy. Products with natural ingredients are largely seen as healthier and of better quality.
Consumers today have a strong desire to know what’s in their food and where it comes from. They increasingly read product labels for nutrition and ingredient information, and expect natural products to be sustainable and made using fair practices. Above all, consumers prioritize, and won’t compromise on, taste.
Natural, recognizable ingredients that are fairly sourced, sustainable and taste great; that’s a pretty tall order. Givaudan Kitchen Ingredients can help you offer the best of all worlds: great tasting, natural ingredients that keep your label simple and short … and your consumers happy.
Our Kitchen Ingredients portfolio is an example of our Sourcing for Shared Value initiative. Sourcing for Shared Value means that we are committed to ensuring that all of our raw materials are produced in a way that respects both people and the environment. We work in partnership with local producers and suppliers to transform the way we source and create new value to be shared by all. Guarana, clove leaf oil, and chili are Givaudan Kitchen Ingredients that are part of this initiative.
Guarana – Guarana has long been cultivated by family farmers in the Amazon basin and other parts of Brazil. We are committed to its preservation and support the social and economic development of the communities that depend on it for their livelihoods.
Working with Brazilian NGO the Floravida Institute and our new colleagues in Centroflora, we have created the Atlantic Forest Guarana Valorization Program which helps 67 cooperative producer families in the southern Bahia region improve their quality of life and secure the long-term supply of the guarana crop. Our partnerships with producers are creating stable sources of income and strengthening communities as well as reducing deforestation as our technical support for farmers means higher yields on already-existing agricultural land.
Clove leaf oil – Madagascar is a cradle for spicy and warm clove leaf oil, and as with vanilla, the production of clove leaf oil relies on a loose, rural fabric of smallholder producers who live in fragile economies. We take pride in the relationships we’ve cultivated with our clove leaf oil producers and producer associations in Madagascar. Thanks to these relationships, we’re able to help ensure the long-term future of these essential oils. Part of this program involves working to lower the impact of the distillation process on the local ecosystem and in 2017, with funding from the Givaudan Foundation and assistance from a local NGO and producer associations, we replanted over 100,000 trees.
Chili – The perfect chili pepper possesses the most pungent natural ingredients and should catch the eye with its rich, vibrant color, but even in traditional chili-growing areas of southern India, farmers can struggle to produce consistent crops. In partnership with local supplier Synthite, we have launched the Givaudan-Synthite Sustainable Chili program. This aims to build a reliable, traceable chili supply chain which contributes to sustainable production methods while also improving the livelihoods and health and well-being of the chili farmers and their families. Many of our farmers live in remote villages with limited access to healthcare, so it was important to us to offer free health checks from nearby hospitals.
Kitchen Ingredients offer great taste, transparency, minimal process and the trust and confidence that comes with fairly sourced raw materials.
