Imagine biting into the gooey goodness of a sundae as the combination of flavors dance on your tongue. Or, think about the delicious savory/sweet combination of Pad Thai made in your home that tastes straight from a world-class restaurant. While you may find it hard to think about anything else but your watering mouth, it's interesting to note those flavors may have been created right here.
For more than 150 years, local companies have been creating the flavor combinations that intrigue the senses and please discerning palates. Hidden to most, these companies are providing key ingredients to everyday culinary delights.
Getting a look behind the curtain of these companies is like finding a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory. The top five companies in the area are WILD Flavors in Erlanger, Cargill in northern Cincinnati, Givaudan near Hartwell and in Florence, Mane in Milford, and A.M. Todd in Hamilton (a.k.a. Mooreganics by A.M. Todd). While most won't reveal their trade secrets or big name clients, some are willing to unveil the secrets behind the mysteries.
One of the biggest mysteries is why Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky? Is it because large, regional businesses demanded local suppliers? Or is it simply the region creating the infrastructure that appealed to companies? While it's still a question if the chicken or the egg came first, it's clear there is a symbiotic relationship between the purchasing companies and supporting region.
For
WILD Flavors, Inc, accessibility was important. Dr. Hans-Peter Wild purchased the local F&C International, Inc. in 1994. He changed the name and moved the facility closer to the airport. "To ensure the future growth of the company, he invested in the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility near the Northern Kentucky-Greater Cincinnati Airport , allowing for the convenience of travel for customers and visitors," Donna L. Hansee, WILD's Senior Director of Marketing, states.
"Cincinnati has competitive features with other large flavor companies in the vicinity, as well as access to many consumer-product-goods corporations."
The Mystery Behind What to MakeEvery day, the world chooses what to eat or what fragrance to wear based on their unique preferences. Regional cravings, cultural expectations, and some religious practices also dictate what people buy. The real talent for these companies is creating the individual flavors that appeal to the masses and can be used in a variety of products.
According to Andrew Morrison,
Givaudan's Global Head of Marketing Communications for the Flavours Division, they have been leading sensory innovation since 1796 through programs like "TasteTreks™, TrendTreks™, and ChefsCouncil™ events as innovative ways to explore the very latest in consumer tastes and trends." It's these advancements that have helped this Swiss company appeal to the top 100 food and beverage companies worldwide, employ 900 people at local facilities, and achieve annual sales of more than $4.2 billion.
While their global research/development facility is in Cincinnati and flavors production in Florence, KY, Givaudan's TasteTrek™ teams travel the world for groundbreaking tastes and aromas, or just the right regional specialty that can become the basis for a global craving. As their website notes, they'll set up a "camp and a mini-lab in an area where there is a high probability of new discoveries–from a lush rainforest to a farm in a small village… Where they go and who they meet is as interesting as what they find."
WILD successfully grew to employing approximately 430 local employees through the belief that creating flavors means understanding the total sensory experience. Their lines also include ethnic profiles for the global cultures along with a variety of health and wellness ingredients. While functional ingredients like vitamins, soy, and bitter and acidic products are necessary, they can produce undesirable tastes or smells. WILD addresses this through its Resolver® Technology, which simultaneously keeps this local company at the forefront of flavor technology. According to their website, "Resolver® works through specially designed natural flavors that block the taste receptors' ability to taste bitterness and astringency, leading to fewer off-taste issues associated with functional ingredients."
Unveiling Upcoming TrendsBeyond these technologies, it also comes down to what's next. Both companies are dictating and supplying current trends. Morrison notes, "Today's consumers are constantly looking for convenience, portability of foods, increased interest in ethnic foods or trends toward healthy foods and beverages. Givaudan also offers products that meet today's demand for lower fat, less calories, sugar-free, vitamin-added or more functional ingredients that answer consumers' demands while maintaining consumer-preferred taste profiles."
WILD's dedicated team, called N.E.X.T.™ (New Emerging eXciting Trends), also predicts the next big thing and helps dictate other areas of manufacturing from formulations to packaging and marketing strategies.
"Some examples of the WILD N.E.X.T.™ team's 2009 product trends are: Holistic sleep, health from the sea, ancient and whole grains, distinct regionalization, and return to home-cooking," Hansee says.
The group then uses research and market analysis to inform their wide range of customers how to meet the challenges the trends present. WILD's goal is to create a seamless movement from concept to market. Their Technology and Innovation team is also developing ways to address areas like SaltTrim® for sodium reduction and their H.I.T.S.® line (Health Ingredient Technology & Solutions).
Peeking Into What's NextHowever the trends and mysteries unfold, the Cincinnati region will continue to be a hotbed of flavor and fragrance ingenuity that is leading the global market. WILD recently purchased 25+ acres across from the original Erlanger site for expansion into what Hansee calls a campus-like environment for production and distribution growth, as well as more room for research and development, technology, and other areas.
Givaudan also sees continued success in the global market through locally led advancements. Morrison says that while their initial acquisition of the Cincinnati-based Tastemaker in 1987 led to the relocation of its headquarters to American soil, it's the area's offer of "a good complement of talent and the infrastructure required to grow and support the world's largest flavor and fragrance company" that will keep them here.
In the end, Cincinnati remains one of the top flavor meccas and its residents can stop and wonder if the hot, new taste they are enjoying sprang from one of the local magic makers.
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Photography by Scott BeselerDelicious cupcakes from the Art of Food, at the
Carnegie in Covington, KYWILD Flavors, Inc Headquarters, providedToast creation by Eric BrassFlavors, providedRoast duck breast, LavomaticGrand Marnier citrus dessert