THE ART OF Extracts

Annie Hartwig stumbled onto a niche business full of her favorite things.

- BY RACHEL PORTER

Most of the food we consume contains extracts of some kind for extra flavor. Extraction is the process of drawing out the essence and flavor from a fruit, herb, flower or vegetable over time. Extracts can be used to enhance and flavor drinks, simple syrups, baked goods, icings, ice creams, sauces and soups.

Entrepreneur Annie Hartwig went on a girls' shopping trip 10 years ago and came home with authentic vanilla extract. After noticing what a difference the flavor made in her baking, she was on a mission to recreate it. Fast forward to today, she runs Annie's Extracts with more than 40 different food and beverage extract flavors servicing restaurants, liquor stores, donut shops and personal clients from her website (www.extractsbyannie.com) and Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/extractsbyannie). She makes her extracts using natural, organic and local products, unlike mass produced extracts that often contain artificial flavor enhancers, dyes and/or scents.

VANILLA BEGINNINGS

Hartwig was quickly hooked on the full body authentic flavor of vanilla, and after having that, she noticed how displeasing the artificial flavors tasted. She looked for a similar product at local stores and nothing tasted as good as the homemade batch. Deep diving into research, she tried several recipes until she found the one that matched her expectations.

Once she discovered the combination she loved, she started making bottles for gifts at Christmas. The same noticeable taste difference stood out to her gift recipients, and they would bring their empty bottles back to her requesting more.

The next logical step was to sell her new creations to these friends so they could gift the vanilla to their loved ones. Two hours after making a simple Facebook post, 100 bottles were ordered and Hartwig was off to the races to fill the requests.

FLAVOR ADDICTION