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PRESS RELEASE

FIRMENICH ENRICHES VANILLA PALETTE WITH SUSTAINABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE NATURAL TONALITIES

Geneva, Switzerland, May 4, 2017 Firmenich is proud to introduce a new range of sustainable and cost-effective natural vanilla solutions, to best support its customers in mitigating the impact of the Madagascar cyclone and the current record-high vanilla prices. The leading Flavor House has extended its natural vanilla range by diversifying its sources of origin to include Uganda, Indonesia and India, as well as, by developing innovative solutions from alternative natural sources.

“With vanilla being the most popular flavour in the world, we immediately put our innovation to work to best support our customers to respond to today’s market scarcity and record prices”, said Chris Millington, President Flavors, Firmenich. “By rethinking our entire vanilla palette, we developed a unique range of natural flavors that offer an authentic taste profile, while meeting the market’s expectations for “clean” label and “natural”.”

“Firmenich has the largest palette of vanilla from different origins and processes and uses this to create a full spectrum of taste profiles including tailor-made extracts and signature natural vanilla flavors,” said Benoit Petit, Vice President, End-to-End Naturals, Firmenich Flavors. “As prices continue to rise due to the recent Cyclone Enawo, our broad range of natural solutions from vanilla extracts from various origins, to natural flavors, are more relevant than ever to delight our customers and their consumers.”

The Group has a history of partnering with its vanilla stakeholders such as in Uganda and Madagascar, to ensure the most traceable, ethical and sustainable value chain for the farmers and their communities. To scale up its impact Firmenich is an active member of the Sustainable Vanilla Initiative (SVI) dedicated to improving vanilla bean farmers’ livelihoods, as well as assuring the long-term stable supply of high quality vanilla beans.

In light of the rising vanilla pod prices, Firmenich is exploring new business models and sharing innovation to turn today’s vanilla challenges into opportunities for its network of farmers in Uganda and Madagascar. Focus areas include the selection of crop varieties, crop rotation, soil management, all the way to promoting alternative cropping and reinforcing farming trainings.

 



Responsible Sourcing in Uganda



In 2008, Firmenich established one of the first public-private partnerships for responsible sourcing in the flavor and fragrance industry with Danida, the development arm of the Danish Government, which has a long-standing relationship with Uganda and Uvan Ltd., Uganda’s largest vanilla producer. This three-way partnership creates a sustainable supply of Ugandan vanilla beans through the education of more than 4,000 farmers on improved farming practices, as well as the implementation of social programs to improve living conditions of the farming communities.

 



Responsible Sourcing in Madagascar



With a long-established presence in Madagascar since 2005, Firmenich has developed a privileged partnership with Authentic, a member of our Naturals Together program, with the Savanille cooperative, representing 2,800 vanilla farmers across 38 villages. To best support the Savanille community, based on their input; and in collaboration with Authentic, Firmenich has:

• Built 43 wells for drinking water, impacting 12,500 family members.

• Established a local school, and, in 2016 opened six more classrooms, benefitting 300 additional children.

• Set-up three plant nurseries for crop diversification.

• Added 24 pilot rice crops to help combat deforestation; integrating this food crop has enabled the community to produce rice for four consecutive years.

• Built a medical dispensary, serving 50 patients a week and supporting 40 births in 2016.

To discover more about this unique partnership committed to excellence in vanilla, we invite you to view this video:





 



About ‘Naturals Together’



At Firmenich, we source and craft for our creators and the market, the most precious, innovative and sustainable natural ingredients. This represents 150 species, supplied by 100 producers, locally sourced in 40 countries, contributing to the livelihoods of 250,000 families. To learn more about Naturals Together, visit: www.firmenich.com/naturalstogether

 



About Firmenich



Firmenich is the world’s largest privately-owned company in the fragrance and flavor business. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, it has created many of the world’s best-known perfumes and flavors that billions of consumers enjoy each day. Its passion for smell and taste is at the heart of its success. It is renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its thought leadership in sustainability and exceptional understanding of consumer trends. Each year, it invests 10% of its turnover in R&D, reflecting its continuous desire to understand, share and sublimate the best that nature has to offer. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.2 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2016.


FIRMENICH ENRICHES VANILLA PALETTE WITH SUSTAINABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE NATURAL TONALITIES
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