![](/DF/Home/Images/DPI0910_CCFF_smoothies-sm.jpg)
California Custom Fruits and Flavors, Irwindale , Calif. , is a true custom ingredient innovator and manufacturer. Nearly every product the company makes is specially crafted for each customer. The company’s customer-centric approach and its focus on flavor development and application yields a consumer-preferred product.
Historically known for its custom orientation and application expertise, in recent years California Custom Fruits and Flavors has invested significant resources in the creation of a state-of-the-art flavor lab. Not only has this capability strengthened the application systems, but the company’s raw flavors are featured in some of the largest brands within the dairy, beverage, bakery, confectionery and foodservice industries.
The flavor laboratory houses over 500 raw materials giving it immediate access to resources for speed-to-market developments. The demand for, and resulting evolution of, the powdered flavor product line has brought about flavors from Acai to Watermelon for beverages to Taro and Pandan for bakery applications.
California Custom Fruits and Flavors’ complete flavor product offering is developed to meet a variety of labeling and processing needs featuring liquid/water-soluble, oil-soluble, spray dry powder, emulsions and extracts in organic, all-natural or other good-for-you or traditional flavor types.
Diverse and enhanced capabilities in the development of flavors across multiple product categories gives California Custom Fruits and Flavors a richer knowledge of what people want from a taste, texture and product attribute perspective. For example, it achieves calorie reduction in dairy-based beverages by using stevia as a natural sweetening agent. The purity of stevia is an important consideration. The company sources only the purest form of stevia.
“Impurities within stevia contribute off-flavors,” said Philip Barone, director of flavor development. “We prefer to develop flavors around the most pure form of stevia as there are many stevia products that are made with higher levels of impurities. Our approach is to set the perfect level of sweetness, evaluate off-notes and then mask using the lowest level and most neutral type of flavor that positively contributes to the final profile. I find success in applying masking flavors that possess long chain fatty acids. Not only do these flavors mask, they also enhance mouth feel, a desirable side effect for dairy-based products where skim milk is used to achieve lower fat and calorie levels,” said Philip.
Other recent product launches include natural tea WONF flavors like green tea, white tea and black tea used in beverage and dairy application and beverage flavors and flavor bases for energy, vitamin-fortified and functional drink applications.
California Custom Fruits and Flavors
877/588-0056
www.ccff.com