Global ingredients and flavours company IFF has opened a new Vanilla Innovation Center in Madagascar, expanding its research and development capabilities at origin as demand grows for traceable, sustainable and high-quality vanilla solutions.

Located in Toamasina, Madagascar's main seaport and close to key vanilla-growing regions, the 650-square-metre facility is designed to integrate lab analysis, extraction, flavour creation and application development within a single site.

The move reinforces vanilla as a strategic focus area for the company while strengthening collaboration across the supply chain.

According to IFF, the centre will allow teams to work more closely with vanilla growers and post-harvest processors, enabling faster innovation cycles and deeper insight into the impact of climate, curing techniques and crop variability on flavour performance.

Adam Jańczuk, senior vice president of research, creation and design for Taste at IFF, said:

"By strengthening our presence at origin, we connect science, creativity and sustainability more closely, responding to climate changes, safeguarding quality and creating value across the supply chain."

Vanilla remains one of the food industry's most complex and volatile natural ingredients, with quality and availability heavily influenced by environmental conditions and post-harvest handling. By positioning technical and creative capabilities closer to production, IFF aims to improve traceability, consistency and responsiveness for global food and beverage customers.

The facility includes contaminant and disease-detection laboratories, molecular profiling capabilities, scalable extraction rigs and flavour development suites. It also features application labs focused on dairy, bakery and confectionery products, enabling prototype validation for regional market needs.

A dedicated greenhouse known as the Bloomery will support research into vanilla varietals and post-harvest techniques, while the site will also serve as a training and collaboration hub through IFF's Remaster Vanilla programme.

Marcus Pesch, vice president of research and development for Taste at IFF, said:

"By bringing science, flavour creation and application development together at origin, we can work more collaboratively with customers, improve speed and consistency and deliver solutions that are market-ready and grounded in the realities of vanilla production."

The Madagascar centre becomes part of IFF's broader global vanilla network spanning sourcing, extraction, flavour design and application development. The company said insights generated at the site will support regional flavour creation teams in developing products tailored to local consumer preferences while helping strengthen the long-term resilience of the vanilla supply chain.