AT CUSTOM FLAVORS, WE’RE EXPERTS IN FLAVOR CREATION
OUR MISSION
At Custom Flavors, we’re determined to show the industry what a passionate group of people with deep scientific expertise and a dedication to quality can do with flavors — not only to create the most exciting new flavors but to build lasting, collaborative customer relationships along the way.
OUR VISION
We envision a world where every project we work on yields not only superior products but superior experiences for our customers in every aspect of the business relationship. We seek to go beyond flavor to realize excellence in everything we do.
OUR VALUES
As we grow, we are looking ahead, driven by our commitment to excellence and further improvement. Our ultimate goal is to become the industry-recognized model for how we treat our customers, employees, community, and the environment through:
DEDICATION:
We are dedicated to supporting each other and serving our customers with excellence, following through on every promise we make.
RESOURCEFULNESS:
We are determined to be the go-to flavor supplier by outworking our competition, collaborating as a team, and overcoming all obstacles.
QUALITY:
We make product quality our top priority, continuously striving for improvement, and delivering satisfaction and safety in everything we work on.
EFFICIENCY:
We strive to enhance lives through smarter, more efficient solutions that go further to exceed expectations.
PASSION:
We are driven by innovation, making a meaningful impact, and showing genuine care in everything we do.
RECOGNITION:
We believe in recognizing and celebrating excellence wherever we find it — because when any one of us wins, we all win.
OUR STORY
At Custom Flavors, we invite you to experience a higher standard of flavor development and customization with flavors derived from nature.
At the forefront is Alex Wendling, President of Custom Flavors. As a food scientist, he brings an abundance of insight and experience to the company. Before Alex, it was his father, Mike Wendling, with a degree in biology focusing on food colors and flavors, who started the company along with co-founder and Executive Vice President Steve Bishop, a former lab manager himself, as Custom Ingredients in 2005. In 2018, the company changed its name and its focus to Custom Flavors.
Today, the Custom Flavors portfolio includes more than 20,000 flavors and flavor combinations — with recent and ongoing investments in our equipment and facilities in California and North Carolina.
By hiring the best flavor and application scientists, along with highly skilled production, regulatory, and support teams, we bring centuries of combined experience in chemistry, biochemistry, analytics, and production to the table. This continues to be a foundational element in what we do, to meet our customers wherever they are in the product development process, from formulation to testing to procurement.
We partner with businesses of all sizes, building a reputation not only for customized, creative flavors but also for exceptional, go-the-extra-mile service.
“When companies partner with us, they know we’ll be with them at every step, from product ideation through testing, all the way through the process,” said Alex. “We’ll be there doing benchtop work, creating prototypes, you name it. No other flavor company with our level of capability does that as well as we do.”
Combining a scientific approach with creativity enables us to craft unique and tailored flavors, address complex flavor challenges, streamline processes, and provide expert guidance on regulatory matters. As consumer preferences evolve, we are proud to work as a team to support you, helping you adapt and thrive.
Custom Flavors is a company with a heritage and a legacy in the making. We share your passion for excellence and look forward to helping you create your own one-of-a-kind flavors! Thank you for trusting us to be your partner on this journey — we are truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to your success.
CULTURE
Custom Flavors is built on personal relationships and this has been the cornerstone of our success. It’s how we interact with our customers, our suppliers and vendors and our own family of employees. There’s a team spirit here. We celebrate our wins together, encourage communication and collaboration, foster innovation and join together to achieve our collective mission.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Our expert in-house team creates mouthwatering flavors that meet the highest-quality standards our customers and their consumers demand. This expertise operates hand in hand with our administrative team to deliver first class customer service.
Success in the back office translates into developing the systems that ensure consistent delivery and quality. We consider the following essential to our efficiency:
- On-time shipping
- Order confirmation communicated quickly
- Regulatory requests promptly handled
- Equipment and technology updates
- Scalability
- A love for systems, science and service
- A professional, loyal team of employees
QUALITY STANDARDS
We pride ourselves in consistently meeting the most stringent certifications and specifications such as Certified Organic, Kosher, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Natural, Organic Compliant, and Non-GMO. We also have the production controls in place to offer flavors that are allergen-free, gluten free and cover other dietary restrictions. For more information about certifications and special designations or to download relevant documentation, please visit our Certifications page.
TESTIMONIALS
I cannot compliment this company enough!!
From their vast flavor library, innovative technical team, 5 Star customer service, responsiveness, flexibility, quality of product and short lead times they are a supplier that would be any customers dream!
My company has partnered with them for well over 20 years and they have only gotten better. A modest sized company that is a giant in the industry!!
Whatever your application, you will be exceedingly happy with their product, service and pricing!
Karen
Custom Flavors in my honest and humble opinion is the gold standard of what a supplier should be to clients.
My initial conversation was incredibly uncommon due to the fact that their salesman thoroughly researched our company and our mission statement and already knew what carriers they would need to be on to meet our labeling requirements.
Samples arrived in a matter of days instead of weeks, pricing and regulatory documents were provided within 1-2 days depending on the request.
Communication to our R & D and Supply Chain departments are constant and thorough. No question or order inquiry is ever left unanswered and we truly feel Custom Flavors understands how important under promising and overdelivering is in a business relationship.
I cannot say enough about their flavor development team and their ability to rise to any challenge. From complex flavor requests to vanilla alternatives in case supply of vanilla becomes scarce, their innovation is second to none.
Our relationship with Custom Flavors has evolved into a partnership in a matter of months. Greetings are more familial, handshakes are now hugs and there’s a deep appreciation for the mutual contributions we make to the other’s business.
I will end with this… you will be hard pressed to find a more passionate and responsive flavor house than Custom Flavors. I can’t recommend them enough as a partner to grow your business.
Mike
