AFP – In his Tel Aviv restaurant, chef Yair Yosefi is adding a magical ingredient to his signature cake: Israel’s first commercially produced vanilla that delivers what devotees claim is the best flavor strength.
It was developed by Vanilla Vida, a new player in the food industry that says its computerized system, along with other modern farming methods, can scientifically produce any type of vanilla.
The company, founded in 2020, can prove to be a profitable company, producing what is the most valuable spice in the world after saffron.
Many mass-produced foods, from ice cream to milkshakes to soy milk, are often flavored with artificial vanilla – but the real natural stuff is still very expensive and in demand.
Vanilla Vida has also created greenhouses to recreate the conditions vanilla needs to thrive, but until the plants there are fully grown, the company imports fresh vanilla to its processing plant in Or Yehuda, a part of Tel Aviv.
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Founder and CEO Oren Zilberman told the AFP news agency that his company is processing the raw product for a highly monitored aging process.
This, he said, allows him to extract the desired flavor, speed up the drying process and eliminate the various risks associated with air drying in tropical areas such as Indonesia or Madagascar, the main producers of vanilla.
“We know how – through the drying process with different temperatures, humidity and other things to get the raw materials to go in a different way – to create different aromas, just as you roast different coffees to create different aromas- different,” Zilberman said.
“If you understand metabolism, you can create chocolate vanilla, caramelly vanilla, woody vanilla as the French prefer, or sweet vanilla for the Americans,” he said.
Thanks to Vanilla Vida for leading the PeakBridge VC team through the new data pilot tools! Where are they breaking #scaleup barriers ???? high quality #vanilla beans industry.
We are proud to be an #investor and advisor of Vanilla Vida pic.twitter.com/UEHA8Qz8ZJ
— PeakBridge (@PeakBridge) July 11, 2022
When asked about the quality of Israel’s aged vanilla, Chef Yosefi said the proof is in the pudding, due to the high order of dacquoise cake and his bistro, Brut.
“People are looking for a dish with fruit and vanilla,” he told AFP.
