In advance of this year’s Institute of Food Technologists exhibition, flavor supplier Virginia Dare hosted a media open house on May 7, 2024, for its new operation in Carteret, N.J.

Virginia Dare built the new production facility in 2018 and 2019 and then officially moved in 2020 while it closed its legacy multi-story production plant and headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y. Last November, the company officially celebrated its 100-year-year anniversary and opened its new 35,000-square-foot headquarters and customer innovation center within the Carteret plant. Officials praise the new location as more efficient with state-of-the-art equipment upgrades. Moreover, they said it’s designed to accommodate future growth, expansion, and increased output—all without sacrificing lead times.

Virginia Dare’s media open house not only included a visit to the customer innovation center but also an array of basic and applied category application labs, a new sensory center and new pilot plant areas (including spray drying). In related news, officials announced the opening of Virginia Dare’s new Pasadena, Calif., lab to serve West Coast clients. Its capabilities include flavor creation, product applications, prototyping, and R&D.

The New Jersey event showcased company leadership team including Howard Smith, president; Chris Smith, executive vice president; Mike Springsteen, vice president of business and product development; Philip Caputo, marketing and consumer insights manager; and Robert Verdi, vice president business development-Health & Wellness. Virginia Dare also introduced new leaders including Eduardo Villagomez, vice president of Vanilla Products (hired September 2023); Nicole Staniec, vice president of Beverage Products (hired January 2024); and Peter Lee, a marketing associate (hired in April 2024).

Show & Tell: Virginia Dare at IFT

Virginia Dare invites food and beverage formulators to visit its completely redesigned trade show booth, #S1826, during the Institute of Food Technologists 2024 expo, July 14-17 in Chicago. The company will showcase six prototypes demonstrating its flavoring, masking and modulating skills. Offerings will include a RTD Plant-Based Functional Coffee Latte (flavor TBD), RTD Huckleberry Bramble Ginless Cocktail, RTD Calamansi Green Tea Hydration Drink, RTM Caramel Apple Crumble Protein Shake,

RTE Watermelon Margarita Pixy Stick and a Fortified Ceramide Gummy (flavor TBD).

“This was an opportunity to design a facility for the ideal work flow,” said Caputo. “We can see that in how the space functions between departments involving our many custom labs and state-of-the-art equipment. Moreover, it’s now complete with our customer center where we can work with partners—one on one—on solutions customized for their projects. Everything about our meeting rooms is tailored for them and we’re excited to bring them here.”  

Originally known for its work with vanilla, Virginia Dare has since grown and expanded to provide not only pure extracts of vanilla but also tea, coffee and cocoa. It provides characterizing flavors as well as ingredients for flavor masking and taste modulation. Not surprisingly, its product applications span nearly every category including beverages (non-alcoholic to wellness), dairy, bakery, functional health & wellness foods and beverages, confections and gummies.

“The perception is that we only supply and work with vanilla but Virginia Dare is more than that,” Caputo adds. “Yet our facilities and product development work demonstrate it.”

In more casual on-site interviews, Staniec talked about Virginia Dare’s beverage work. She spoke of applications as varied as energy, kids hydration, cognition all the way to functional teas (with collagen) mocktails and non-dairy drinks. Verdi likewise spoke of Virginia Dare’s flavor masking and modifying work with sports (pre-, post-workout) protein powders, and other functional products for healthy aging, focus, brain health and gut health.