With a background in editorial—and not flavor or fragrance—assuming the helm of Perfumer & Flavorist has provided me with a learning opportunity as exciting as it is exacting. Which makes the topic of our December issue, citrus, quite possibly the most poetically fitting of them all: broad enough to provide endless opportunities to get creative, but certainly not without its challenges.
This month, Richard Pisano, Jr. outlines some of those challenges in “The State of Citrus Oils, 2019-2020” (Page 28). For natural products, several factors can determine yield and, in turn, prices. Without giving too much away, Mother Nature is currently shining her warmth on the buyers.
These themes intertwine in journalist Eddie Bulliqi’s interview with Bernardo Cauvin (Page 56), who discussed the ways in which niche fragrance leaders and upstarts are taking on the task of creating bold and unexpected fragrances in the stalwart category. “Citrus is not such an easy category to innovate in,” he says. “Perfumers have always dreamed of creating citrus fragrance with both lasting-power and new unique signatures. It’s a double challenge which requires great talent.”
In “What if Authentic Taste Experiences Could Travel” (Page 38), Roberto Salas presents the challenges of bringing new citrus flavors to global consumers and, if I say so myself, shows that sometimes the right answer is perhaps the most obvious: keeping it real.
Also in this issue, we see the close of our long-running series on frankincense, with a deep comparison of the well-known Boswellia neglecta and the relatively unknown Commiphora confusa (Page 46), and take a look at the latest innovative products in the citrus and fruity ingredients space (Page 10).
I hope you enjoy the issue. And when it comes to challenges—be they of life or lemons—remember the words of lime-loving Amy March from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women: “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
