An OG staple in your pantry that's anything but average. Origin Vanilla’s single-origin vanillas and flavours carry deep and alluring flavour notes from the most remote places of the world that you can bring to your own kitchen!
We're so excited to be offering Origin Vanilla's pure vanilla flavours (it has no sugar added unlike many premium vanilla extracts on the market!) that are ethically-sourced for all of our Customer Friends' baking and cooking needs!
Why We Picked Origin Vanilla
- Founder Zach Schwindt is revolutionizing the industry! He is committed to a single-origin model for the vanilla supply chain which, in a nutshell (or we should say, a vanilla bean), means Origin Vanilla works DIRECTLY with small farmers (actually going to their farms all around the globe and picking each harvest).
- There is SO much care AND science put into each harvest and creation. Each vanilla bean they use is hand-selected! One of Origin Vanilla's farmers explained, “We treat our beans like newborn babies. The beans are delicate, and we need to analyze and maintain the health of our vanilla beans every single day.”
- Canadians deserve products this good as quickly as possible!
I believe that awesome companies should be able to get their products to customers quickly, without waiting years to get on the shelves of traditional retail stores. Plus, the food you eat should make you feel good and help you on your health journey!
Origin Vanilla is all of those things and we are so excited to be able to bring it to you!
Behind the Company
Origin Vanilla founder Zach Schwindt was on an 8-month solo backpacking trip in 2016 when he landed an opportunity to teach English in a rural village in West Java, Indonesia.
In Indonesia, he visited a lot of the different farms and eventually spent a few days at a vanilla farm. He became fascinated by the complexity of vanilla and learned about the unfortunate reality that was farmers digging up their vanilla vines because they weren’t making enough money to sustain them. From then, Zach committed himself to learn the ins and outs of the vanilla industry before finally launching Origin Vanilla in 2019.
Origin Vanilla’s mission is radical transparency in the captivating world of vanilla. This means putting the farmers first (putting money, equity, and dignity directly into their hands) who are the backbone of a resilient global food supply.
“If we want to enjoy great vanilla and spices for years to come, it's time we invest in the people and communities who cultivate them.” -Origin Vanilla, "Our Approach"
What is it?
Origin Vanilla sources single-origin vanillas and flavours from all around the globe -- as in all the way from the northern peninsula of Sulawesi, to the mountains of Vietnam, to the jungles of West India! Pure vanilla is referred to as the “Queen of Flavours” and is an irreplicable ingredient in so many delicious recipes!
Their Vanilla Extract is meticulously brewed from a combination of Madagascar, Tahitian, Mexican, and Indonesian vanilla beans. They use a cold-extraction method which maintains all 400 flavour components of the vanilla bean, owing to the extract's full-bodied, deep, and rich flavour profile!
Origin Vanilla also created a Vanilla Bean Sea Salt which gives a super unique flavour to sweet-savoury dishes like a sweet glazed salmon or, my personal favourite, sprinkled on top of baked goods like brownies!
What is so special about Origin Vanilla?
Origin Vanilla is completely changing the game -- they’re reimagining a fairer and more sustainable one with a direct-trade system.
First, natural vanilla is becoming a scarce commodity. Vanilla beans are the second most labour-intensive commodities to produce; it takes years of farming before a farm’s FIRST vanilla bean can be harvested and not to mention climate change only exacerbates this lengthy process. Vanilla farmers also face socioeconomic barriers like threats of theft and robbery in their farms and little to no access to foreign buyers and the global economy.
Direct-Trade - Origin Vanilla recognizes that the two most important segments of the supply chain are the farmer and the consumer. Direct-trade bridges the gap between these two by cutting out the middleman, giving farmers independence and true access to global markets. Under this business model, Origin Vanilla is revolutionizing the supply chain by:
- Investing in modern farm infrastructure to increase yields, quality, and farm security
- Using their own in-house processing and exporting team to manage quality control, farmer relationships, and the supply chain
- Using a “safety net” (an agreement between themselves and their farmers to protect against volatile market swings)
- Offering communities the opportunity to increase crop diversification -- important for the sustainability and health of the ecosystem
Origin Vanilla designed their business model so that farmers are able to secure themselves higher incomes (ineffective supply chains have continuously kept farmers in a cycle of poverty), leading to more vanilla farming, and then a more stable future for the entire vanilla industry! With the transparency of direct-trade, consumers are connected directly to their food source and bonus: get fresher and more economical products!!
Who should use Origin Vanilla?
If you love baking, or even cooking, you would love this pantry staple! It ups your snacks, meals, and baked goods and adds so much depth to it. The Vanilla Bean Sea Salt is so unique and perfect to add to sweets for that salty balance.
Tip: If you have any Good Dee's Baking Mixes lying around -- match made in heaven with Origin Vanilla Vanilla Extract! Try adding some to your bulletproof morning coffee too!
Final Thoughts
Origin Vanilla is finding new and innovative ways to source and use Vanilla. I LOVE their Vanilla Sea Salt for adding on top of brownies and other chocolate desserts!! Buying direct from the farmers ensures that the farmers are able to invest and innovate to find new and amazing ways to make the vanilla you eat delicious!