Posts Tagged ‘Flavor Development’

Written on February 24, 2022.

Flavorman Celebrates 30 Years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 14, 2022) — Flavorman, a leading beverage development company headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is celebrating 30 years of creating flavors for beverage brands worldwide, ranging from large companies like Ocean Spray, Sunsweet Growers, and Kellogg to independent companies just getting a start in the beverage industry.

Flavorman was founded in January 1992 by David Dafoe — one of the foremost authorities on flavor who got his start as a lab assistant at a Cincinnati-based flavor company, then as manager of flavor development at Brown-Forman, where he developed some of the global spirits giant’s biggest new brands. He left Brown Forman and branched out on his own to start Flavorman to help assist beverage clients in creating new flavors. Flavorman’s first big customer was Chiquita Brands International.

“We’ve come a long way from where we first started, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team of experts we have in place and the work we’ve done over the years,” said David Dafoe, CEO and Founder of Flavorman. “We have worked with hundreds of well-known and up-and-coming brands to help build new flavors and beverages to offer to consumers. We saw the need for technical innovation in the beverage industry, jumped in, and haven’t looked back, and I’m looking forward to another 30 years of working with clients to create trendsetting flavors and innovative beverages.”

Flavorman has helped many companies get their start in the beverage industry. Louisville resident, Joe Heron, used Flavorman to create his soda company Nutrisoda, which he later sold to PepsiAmericas. Two years later, with the help of Flavorman, he created a craft cider, Crispin Hard Cider, which was later sold to MillerCoors. Heron went on to further make a splash in the spirits industry after he founded Copper & Kings American Brandy Company with the help of Dafoe and Flavorman.

“Because of our work with Flavorman, beverages that began as simple ideas from novices in the beverage industry have successfully been sold to major corporations,” said Heron. “Flavorman was the engine behind the beverage formulations, and we would not be where we are today without them.”

Located at 809 South 8th Street in Louisville, Ky., Flavorman is currently expanding its 24,000-square-foot facility, which will bring 30 new jobs to the area and serve as a catalyst for attracting global business to the heart of Kentucky’s largest city. The addition will cover 27,000 square feet and connect to the company’s main laboratory. Once complete, it will boost production capacity, expanding Flavorman’s blending, bottling/canning, processing and bulk storage operations.

The $8.5 million expansion, set to be complete in the fall of 2022, is the latest in a series of developments in the last several years as the company continues to experience exponential growth — 28 of its 59 employees were hired in the last two years. In 2006, Flavorman rehabbed the existing building, and a few years later, purchased a neighboring building to create the nation’s premier educational distillery, Moonshine University.

“We joke that we started Moonshine University when Flavorman was 21-years-old and of legal age,” said Dafoe. “It has been a great investment for us and allows us to offer distillers, or even newbies, the opportunity to learn more about how to own and operate their own distillery. We’re helping so many people learn about the art of distilling, and believe we are truly leaving an impression on the bourbon and beverage industries.”

Together, Flavorman and Moonshine University make up a world-class “Beverage Campus” that houses a fully equipped educational distillery, state-of-the-art classroom, production facility with a custom bottling line, extensive sensory library and a beverage innovation laboratory. Flavorman has developed more than 74,000 beverage formulations for brands worldwide, while Moonshine University has hosted hands-on classes for students from all 50 states and 44 countries, with attendees opening over 186 distilleries.

ABOUT FLAVORMAN: Founded by David Dafoe in 1992, Flavorman is a custom beverage development company located in the heart of Bourbon country. Flavorman works with companies and entrepreneurs– big and small –to develop everything from energy drinks to flavored spirits and more. With 30 years in the industry and almost 75,000 beverage formulations, Flavorman has helped create thousands of household staples and iconic brands that have defined generations — and changed what the world is drinking. For more information, visit www.flavorman.com

Written on November 13, 2019.

 

It’s no secret that the beverage industry is competitive. Staying ahead of trends, making connections, and getting exposure for your brand and product are vital for the long-term success of any beverage company. As a business owner, one way to tackle this endeavor is by participating in events that showcase your company and what you have to offer — not just to consumers, but to potential partners.
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Written on September 14, 2018.

Our Day in the Lab series takes a closer look at our team members to see what it takes to change what the world is drinking! In this segment, we talk all things flavors with Director & Flavor Architect, Tom Gibson  also known as our very own Willy Wonka.
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Written on August 28, 2018.

Katie Clark, Beverage Architect

Our Day in the Lab series takes a closer look at our team members to see what it takes to change what the world is drinking! This week, we talked to Katie Clark, Beverage Architect.
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Written on January 10, 2017.

From its humble beginnings in a small Louisville, Kentucky condo, Flavorman is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. The company has since evolved into an international custom beverage developer with worldwide brands in energy drinks, flavored spirits, ready-to-drink beverages, juices, mixers, and more. The vision of David Dafoe and Flavorman’s beverage architects was to create a beverage incubator where entrepreneurs from across the country and around the world can send their ideas to the beverage campus with a plan to develop a new flavor or brand and  develop the idea from concept, to production, to a store shelf. The concept has resulted in thousands of household staples, iconic brands and drinks that have defined generations.
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