Vanilla, a beloved ice cream flavour, has captured hearts across the globe.
Its delightful essence is essential in chocolate and baked treats and serves as a key foundation for sweetness in many culinary creations. Vanilla’s inviting, sweet aroma offers a timeless allure, resonating with consumers across borders and generations.
The vanilla industry faces challenges, from fluctuating supply chains to sustainability concerns. Significantly, the primary vanilla-producing country is Madagascar which accounts for approximately 80% of the global vanilla supply.¹
Through strategic investment in Madagascar, Takasago has built transparent, ethical sourcing networks aligning with its commitment to sustainability and quality. As a flavour house deeply committed to the future of vanilla, Takasago has been at the forefront of supporting vanilla farmers and ensuring a sustainable supply chain.
However, its dedication to vanilla extends beyond sustainability. As flavouring creators, Takasago is not only responsible for communicating vanilla flavour’s appeal and innovating it for the food and beverage sector, but also for translating the emotional and cultural expectations attached to its sensory experience.
Vanilla is rarely perceived as an isolated experience – it lives in memory, tradition and personal taste – the challenge is to craft flavours that connect with all of these layers in a subtle but powerful way.
Creation of vanilla flavours from the consumer’s point of view
Under its comprehensive La Vanille T™ vanilla flavour brand, Takasago combines Malagasy traditions with flavour innovation, integrating each point of the supply chain from Madagascan sustainable and traceable planters to the customisation of unique vanilla flavour.
One of the latest innovations within its La Vanille T vanilla flavour collection is the ‘Pâtissier Vanilla’ concept. This began as a project to discover vanilla flavours from the consumer’s point of view rather than purely conceptual ideas.
When Takasago conducted in-house global surveys were into the consumer’s perception of vanilla the results were fascinating. The perception of vanilla is highly contextual and shaped by local desserts, cultural associations and texture expectations.
While the overall global image of vanilla is sweet, the study highlights that in Japan and Korea, its perception is highly correlated with with keywords ‘rich’ and ‘creamy’.²⁻³ For some European countries, such as France, vanilla is associated with ‘luxury’ and ‘high quality’.
Other interesting results from the study show that Mexico, Brazil and Spain associate vanilla with a ‘vibrant’ taste and ‘caramel-like’ taste notes.
This may reflect the traditional use of vanilla in desserts like ‘crema catalana’ in Spain, ‘flan’ and ‘tres leches’ cakes in Mexico, or Brazil’s ‘quindim’. Today, vanilla holds a deep cultural resonance, where it acts as a foundational note across categories like dairy, bakery and ice cream.
Consolidation of Takasago’s data reveals surprising response from Japanese consumers who, from a sensory point of view, did not associate creaminess with vanilla; instead, linking it to rummy, woody or ‘musty/dusty’ flavours, among other things.
While other respondents were likely thinking mainly of ice cream when they thought of vanilla, it seems that Japanese consumers could not imagine the aroma of vanilla itself.
Therefore, Takasago conducted an interview survey of pastry chefs (pâtissiers) who regularly use vanilla in their creations, in order to gain more insights beyond regular consumers’ perceptions and dig deeper into Japanese consumers’ taste preferences.
Takasago wanted to discover how these artisan pastry chefs, familiar with vanilla, use the ingredient to create exceptional desserts. Via the ‘Takasago Pâtissier Study’, three key findings regarding the usage of vanilla by Japanese pastry chefs were uncovered:⁴
- Foundational element Many pâtissiers incorporate vanilla not as a standalone feature but as a foundational element that enhances other flavours. In custards, pastries or creams, vanilla is the bridge harmonising diverse taste components.
- Invisible aroma Some pastry chefs describe vanilla as the ‘invisible aroma of deliciousness’ – a scent consumers subconsciously recognise as a hallmark of high-quality confectionery, like the ‘umami’ of Japanese soup stocks or the ‘kokumi’ taste of stews.
- Layered complexity In creations such as choux pastries, tarts and creams, vanilla is often layered with other flavours to add depth and a lingering, sophisticated finish.
Takasago’s development team was inspired to use these professional insights, and developed ‘Pâtissier Vanilla’, a conceptual vanilla flavour collection under La Vanille T.
Its flavourists have adopted a unique approach: rather than treating vanilla as a singular note they designed profiles capturing the multi-dimensional experience of vanilla as utilized in patisserie kitchens, helping to convey the deepness of taste from vanilla extracts in pastries.
This involved understanding how vanilla interacts with fats, sugars and heat in classic pastry systems and translating those interactions into rich, layered and familiar flavours. The result is a collection that doesn’t imitate vanilla as an isolated aroma, but mirrors the whole experience of tasting it within a complex dessert.
A technical approach to creating vanilla
Based on its new vanilla concept, Takasago’s technical approach is to focus on other ingredients that pastry chefs can combine with vanilla in their confections, while still maintaining the vanilla character of the product.
These approaches are possible because Takasago has designed various tastes, not limited to vanilla. In formulation, this translates to creating a structure where vanilla supports and enhances without dominating – its presence is measured not by intensity but by the sense of completeness it brings to a product.
This nuance is essential in categories like dairy or bakery, where vanilla is expected to be present but not easily named.
Consumers may sometimes struggle to define what vanilla should actually taste like. Takasago’s research not only helps to customise the authentic taste of vanilla but also to communicate it better.
Similar know-how is also being used for other categories: Takasago is currently developing a vanilla flavour collection for the Japanese market which has already received much praise from the food and beverage segment.
Takasago’s team specializes in formulating a vanilla profile that authentically captures the essence of vanilla, while delivering enhanced olfactory complexity and depth through carefully balanced aromatic compounds. These developments were inspired by Takasago’s interviews with pastry chefs, and as a result, they match the expectations that Japanese consumers have for vanilla.
This represents an opportunity for food and beverage manufacturers to leverage a unique vanilla flavouring concept that transcends the ordinary. Whether crafting a luxurious bakery item or a comforting dairy treat, Pâtissier Vanilla offers a new perspective on vanilla – one rooted in tradition yet forward-looking in its application.
Takasago believes that vanilla is more than just a flavour – it is an experience. By learning from pastry chefs and blending expertise with flavour technologies, Takasago is redefining how vanilla is perceived and utilised in food and beverages.
This study has offered valuable insights into how vanilla is truly experienced – not just tasted – by both professionals and consumers. Encouraged by its success, Takasago is now exploring ways to replicate this approach in other regions, intending to give this universally loved flavour a genuinely global, culturally nuanced expression.
References
- SVI. A unique platform to create conditions for a sustainable vanilla sector.
- Takasago. Global Vanilla Study 2021.
- Takasago. Vanilla Study Japan 2023.
- Takasago. Pâtissier Study 2019.
