Agriculture & food
Indonesian vanilla extract
Vanilla extract is made by percolating cured beans in alcohol and water. What counts as extract is legally defined in the United States and looser in some other markets, which means a product legally sold as extract in one place may not be in another.
How it leaves the country.
- Single fold extract
- The base strength, defined in the United States by the weight of beans per volume. Fold multiples describe concentration relative to it.
- Two fold and above
- Concentrated, for manufacturers dosing smaller volumes. The fold has to be stated because it changes the dosing entirely.
- Oleoresin
- Solvent extracted and concentrated further, without the alcohol. A different product with different handling and labelling.
- Vanilla flavour
- Where alcohol content or composition falls outside the extract definition. Legitimate, and it cannot be labelled extract in markets that define the term.
How it is graded.
The specification is about the definition first and the composition second, because the words on your label are regulated in some markets and not in others.
- Fold has to be stated
- It describes concentration relative to a single fold base. An extract quoted without a fold is a number without a unit.
- The definition binds in some markets
- United States rules define standard of identity for vanilla extract. A product outside it can be sold and cannot carry the word.
- Alcohol content
- Part of the definition where one exists, and separately a customs and labelling question in several markets.
- Bean origin and quality carry through
- Extract is only as good as the beans, and Indonesian beans are frequently cured faster and drier than Madagascan ones, which suits extraction.
- Vanillin, natural or added
- Added vanillin changes what the product is and what it may be called. It belongs in the specification explicitly rather than being assumed absent.
How it is packed.
- Lined drums or jerricans
- An alcoholic extract needs compatible packaging, and the lining is part of the specification.
- Alcohol and transport
- Alcohol content can bring transport classification and customs consequences. Establish it before booking rather than at the terminal.
- Light and heat
- Extract degrades with both. Opaque packaging and stowage away from the doors are worth specifying.
Where it grows.
East Java
Java
Processing capacity for extraction, drawing beans from across the archipelago.
Alor archipelago
Nusa Tenggara
A registered vanilla origin, supplying beans into the extraction chain.
North Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Vanilla growing and curing with processors nearby.
Choosing between this and something else.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Certificate of analysis
- Fold, vanillin, alcohol content and microbiology on the shipped lot.
- HACCP plan
- A processed food ingredient, so the plant's documented system is what a manufacturer asks for first.1
- Certificate of free sale
- Required by several markets for food ingredient registration, and it attests domestic legality only.
- Certificate of origin
- Which form applies depends on the destination and the preference scheme in force with Indonesia.
Questions buyers ask.
Can I call it vanilla extract in my market?
It depends on your market. The United States defines a standard of identity, so a product outside it is a flavour rather than an extract. Other markets are looser. Take the wording to your own regulatory advisor before printing a label.
What does fold mean?
Concentration relative to a single fold base defined by beans per volume. Two fold is twice as concentrated, which changes dosing completely. An offer without a fold cannot be compared to one with it.
Are Indonesian beans good for extraction?
Frequently better suited to it than to whole bean retail, because much Indonesian vanilla is cured faster and to a lower moisture. That is a poor whole bean and a perfectly good extraction input.
What does your service cost?
Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1General principles of food hygiene and the HACCP system. Codex Alimentarius, FAO and WHO. Checked 3 August 2026.