Amul chocolates and health drinks will soon feature natural vanilla made in Kerala by the Vanilco Company, Vanilco managing director Paul Jose told FE.
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul) has entered into a procurement contract with Vanilco to source 0.5 tonne of natural vanilla per month, he said. Amul has an earlier contract with Vanilco for sourcing vanilla for its ice-creams. A similar contract with Mother Dairy is also on the anvil and the resultant demand is likely boost the price of vanilla that has bottomed down in the past, he added.
Amul has started trials in chocolates and is interested in flavoring its Nutramul brand health drink with the natural product, Jose said. He expects the combined demand to exceed 1 tonne per month. Mumbai-based Morde Foods has also started trials using natural vanilla and Jose hopes that more manufacturers will turn into the natural commodity. Mandatory labeling of artificial vanilla will force manufactures to use the natural alternative, Jose said.
Vanilco, a company promoted by growers, is saddled with 16 tonne of processed and cured vanilla for the past two years, due to weak demand for the commodity. The company has been attempting to raise the natural vanilla share in ice-cream and confectionary brands of the nation to prop the price of vanilla. Jose said that dairy brands were apprehensive of the supply and the price of the product, as vanilla prices have fluctuated wildly in the past. Vanilco has assured that it has sufficient stock to maintain a regular supply at pre-determined prices. He estimates the annual consumption of artficial vanilla to be around 8-9 tonne.