US-based Allen Flavors has announced that their portfolio of organic ingredients has surpassed a significant milestone, reaching more than 1,000 certified organic flavors, extracts and bases.

A spokesperson for Allen Flavors stressed that the company has a global reach, but as a private company, does not provide information on their turnover which is largely concentrated in the flavors space. “Organic is and has been a significant portion of their business. It has been growing strongly for the past few years and the forecast for the future looks to be even stronger,” the spokesperson notes to FoodIngredientsFirst. “The challenge is making people understand how the principles of organic apply to flavors,” she adds.

The demand for organics has grown appreciably since Allen Flavors developed and certified their first organic product in 2006. Back then, the company’s initial certifications were completed in response to customer’s requests for a few specific organic flavors. Today, most of the products in Allen Flavors certified organic library has been developed and certified proactively, allowing food and beverage manufacturers to quickly and easily embrace the concept of organic in their line extensions and launches.

Joe Harriman, Allen Flavors Vice President of Sales and Marketing, states: “We’ve been active in the organic ingredient segment for so many years, we know what’s required when dealing with the complex supply chain of organics. This expertise, along with our strong working relationship with Quality Assurance International (QAI), a highly respected organization for organic certification, enables us to achieve certification faster than the industry standard.”

The company claims to have the expertise to take their customers through all aspects of the organic process – from concept to finished product and back-panel label service – including overcoming the challenges associated with the certification process and organic labeling standards.

“There are three levels of USDA organic certification: 100 percent organic, 95-99.9 percent organic, and 70-95 percent organic. We understand and are completely comfortable with the process of organic certification, which takes away a lot of the guesswork and anxiety for our clients,” Harriman explains.

“The fact that we do so much of it and we’re so comfortable with it has made it second nature to us. Basically, we make the process of buying an organic flavor the same as buying a regular flavor, regardless of whether it’s a standard organic flavor like lemon or peach, or a more exotic flavor such as dragonfruit, yumberry or lychee,” he concludes.