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The caffeinated beverage from South America is often part of new beverage innovations. It has also been enjoyed in this country for many years.
We're talking about mate. The traditional drink is made from the dried leaves of the mate bush and has a similar effect to coffee. We offer mate in the form of a fine powder with 8% caffeine. Due to the powder form, the product dissolves easily in water and is therefore easy to work with.
In addition to the use of drinks, the mate powder is also very suitable for use in sweets, sweets or ice cream. The bitter, earthy mate note is a well-rounded taste experience on its own.
Did you know that mate can also be wonderfully combined with other flavors? Male ginger, mate hibiscus flower or mate lime are fantastic examples.
Do you already have mate fever?

Umami is a savory flavor that is often described as meaty, brothy, or savory. It is the fifth basic taste, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
The taste of umami is often described as rich and full-bodied with a long-lasting aftertaste. The theme of heartiness runs through our listed extracts.
They either contain umaminotes or are suitable for refining spicy product creations.
Can you think of products in which our hearty extracts can be used?

In our laboratory, we diligently extracted again using our Soxhlet rotary evaporator.
This method ensures that the flavorings are extracted from the raw materials particularly efficiently and gently. This time we used specially dried cucumbers, which impress with their fresh taste. The result is a cucumber extract that tastes like a cucumber.
There are no limits to creativity, because this extract can be used in many products. It can be used especially in drinks and thus refine water, juices, smoothies or cocktails. Special ice cream creations such as the mint-cucumber combination could also be created. Sauces, soups or milk and yoghurt products could also be refined with the special and refreshing taste.

An IFS certification is a certification according to the International Featured Standards (IFS). The internationally recognized standard for evaluating brokers and importers of food importers shows that the products meet the requirements of customers and legal regulations.
This ensures food safety and quality in relation to the purchase, storage, sale and distribution of the products. The following points are taken into account during the review:
Responsibility: The management assumes responsibility for compliance with quality standards.
Quality: Documentation of the fulfillment of the requirement must exist in the form of a system.
Resources: In order to ensure the quality and safety of the products, there must be sufficient staff, infrastructure and equipment.
Product integrity and safety: Quality and safety are assured.
Customer satisfaction: Customer expectations and requirements are met.
Legal Requirements: The sale and distribution of food and other products must comply with legal requirements.
Traceability: Products must be traceable from source to point of sale.
Service contracts: Services are only procured from certified suppliers.
All of these points correspond to our corporate values, which is why we are aiming for IFS certification as one of our annual goals this year. We will keep you up to date on the latest developments.
Do you know what an IFS certification entails?

We have come a step closer to our goal of having offset our CO2 emissions by 2024.
We looked at many projects to offset our annual, unavoidable CO2 emissions of around 100 tons. Finally, we decided on a domestic project in Germany that coordinates the creation of humus soils together with farmers.
Our new partner in this area is the non-profit company positerra GmbH.
The aim of positerra GmbH is to set up and support a transparent and verifiable process that enables us as a company to offset CO2 emissions.
The goal is to achieve the highest possible CO2 binding per hectare of agricultural land, while maintaining or increasing the yield.
On the one hand, positerra GmbH contracts farmers who will from now on cultivate their land regeneratively and build up humus in a targeted manner, and on the other hand, companies are acquired that want to balance their emissions regionally. Both – companies and farmers are brought together.
Why humus?
Humus is an organic material that results from the decomposition of plant and animal remains. Humus contains carbon. The plant absorbs the CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it into carbon through photosynthesis.
This is a source of food for countless soil organisms, which in turn stimulate soil life through their own metabolic processes and thus promote the formation of humus. The aim of the entire cycle is to bind carbon in the soil for a longer period of time.
However, there are limits to the ability of humus soils to fix carbon dioxide. If conditions are not favorable for soil formation or agricultural management is unsustainable, there can be a loss of soil carbon, which is then released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Therefore, it is important to practice sustainable regenerative agriculture and to use soil management practices that promote soil carbon sequestration to reduce carbon emissions and conserve soil as an important carbon sink.

Many know the typical truffle taste, but did you know that there are many different types of truffles? Winter truffle, summer truffle, white truffle, Burgundy truffle and Perigord truffle are just a few examples of the many varieties.
In our laboratory we started the experiment to produce two truffle extracts from the same original raw material, each with different extraction methods.
The first truffle extract was produced using the classic maceration method, in which we soaked the dried truffle in an ethanol-water mixture for several days. Earthy, mushroomy and umami aromas are more noticeable here. The second truffle extract was made using the Soxhlet extraction method. Purer and fresher notes of truffle can be tasted.The result is two extracts that carry the unmistakable truffle aroma, but have very different flavor profiles and can be used for very different products.
Would you like to try the two truffle extracts and discover their differences?

Madagascar's rainforests are a unique and valuable ecosystem that is home to an incredible diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world.
The rainforests cover less than 2% of the country's land area, but they are rich in biodiversity, including more than 10,000 plant species and a wide variety of lemurs, birds, reptiles and insects.
Madagascar has a special meaning for us, because that's where we get the vanilla pods for our bourbon vanilla extracts.
On the occasion of this, we also founded our non-profit organization Help Mada e. V. was founded, which takes care of the construction of schools and health centers in the north-east of the country.
This year we are traveling to Madagascar again to start new vanilla projects and to inaugurate a medical infirmary, which we financed with our donations.
What would you like to know about Madagascar?

This year it didn't just seem like the year went by quickly again. The last BIOFACH trade fair in 2022 was postponed to the end of July and was therefore less than a year ago. Nevertheless, we were once again able to take away exciting impressions.
Innovations such as tea from a tube or vegan fish creations were just a few of the highlights that impressed us last week.
A product presentation that we particularly remember is from a supplier which offers an impressively large range of dried plants. The simple, but at the same time beautiful presentation of various dried plants has already inspired us to come up with further extract ideas.
Were you at BIOFACH? What impressed you the most?

Vanilla aroma is often used in eggnog creations. However, if you want a particularly fine note, we have something for you. Whether you are in need of conventional, organic or Naturland quality: our bourbon vanilla extract is the perfect complement to the mild sweetness of the eggnog. The dosage is 0.1-0.3%.
The pods used come from north-east Madagascar, near Antalaha. We have direct contact with the local farmers. The pods are fermented on site with the help of the sun and thus develop their incomparable, intense vanilla aroma. After the pods have been fermented and dried, we cut them into 2-3 cm pieces in Germany.
The pods are then extracted using a Soxhlet extraction system and our delicious bourbon vanilla extract is ready, which you can declare in exactly the same way in your list of ingredients. Of course, you can also show the vanilla orchid including the pod on the front of the label.

Lemons don't always have to be sour, because the citrus fruit actually offers a wide variety of tastes. This time we used lemon peel, which is dominated by the bitter aromas combined with fruity and sour notes. We macerated the dried peel from Spain in an ethanol-water mixture for a few days and then, after filtering and sieving, evaporated it in our vacuum rotary evaporator. The result was our intensely aromatic lemon peel extract.
Our lemon peel extract is therefore particularly suitable as a special addition to drinks or, for example, ice cream.
Especially in spring and summer we look forward to the indispensable citrus taste. Are you ready for warmer temperatures?

Since a few weeks we can welcome our new helper: Our new vacuum Soxhlet rotary evaporator. Unlike our other vacuum rotary evaporator, we can produce larger sample quantities (up to 250g per use to previous 50-100g).The Soxhlet extraction unit allows us to extract very valuable raw materials such as vanilla. It is a continuous extraction process and therefore more effective than other processes. Significantly more aroma substances can be extracted in this way. More about this in one of our next posts!
In a very gentle way, we can now continue to work on interesting flavor creations.

Over the past few months, we have processed different types of mint into extracts in our laboratory. Conclusion: not all mint is the same. Our mint varieties could not be more different from each other. Therefore, there is a suitable mint variety for every product idea. From sweet to spicy, the mint varieties can cover a very wide spectrum of tastes. To have everything at a glance, you will find our mint extracts and their descriptions packed in a slideshow.
Do you already know all the mint types?
It can be said that almost all our mint types are certified organic. Only ground ivy comes from controlled wild collection.
Has the variety of freshness already grabbed you and are you already curious about one of the mint types? Do not hesitate to ask for a sample.

The pink berry, also called pink pepper, is not related to black pepper or other pepper varieties. Nevertheless, it is especially unique: When mortared, it unfolds delicate, juniper-like and sweet aromas. Unlike other types of pepper, however, pink berries are not spicy like black pepper.
In the production of our distillate, we used berries from the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus tree) and crushed them before they went into our vacuum rotary evaporator. Drinks, in particular, can be wonderfully enhanced with these special flavors.
Have you ever tried pink pepper?

In our laboratory, we were already keen to experiment at the beginning of the year and took a well-known berry fruit to hand.
Our flavorful tomato extract has it all: sweet meets savory and spicy. The extract's particularly savory notes are the epitome of the 5th flavor, umami, which exists alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Perfect for seasoning sauces, soups or pastes. We have used dried tomato granules and macerated them in an aqueous ethanolic solution, then sieved, filtered and then gently extracted under vacuum.
Does the hearty tomato idea make your mouth water too?

We would like to share with you some of our goals for 2023.
We will continue to increase our share of organic products in total sales. Organic products and regionality are becoming increasingly important. Last year we focused a lot on naturalness and this year we will focus even more on it.
IFS certification. In order to meet our demand for high quality, we strive for the certification of the International Food Standards.
More sustainability and social commitment. Already last year, with our non-profit organization Help Mada e. V. get things moving. Other projects are also planned for this year. In addition, we will take further steps towards sustainability and a CO2-neutral company.
We look motivated to the coming months and wish you a great start into the new year!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season and a successful start to the new year!
We look forward to old and new contacts, exciting projects and above all taste experiments.
The Nutramaxx team wishes you a happy new year 2023!

Since setting up our lab in Hafen City earlier this year, we've been able to experiment with many flavors. Using our vacuum rotary evaporator, we have produced selected extracts that have all impressed us in their own way.
In 2022 we have already introduced you to some of our extracts, but these combinations should surprise you. Together we get further! These are our top 3 flavor combinations of 2022.
Which one is your favorite?

After all the Christmas fever we have a change for you, because we are continuing with our mint series!
Spearmint is used in particular in chewing gum, but its taste is also present in teas and other beverages. In our laboratory we used dried organic mint leaves from Italy.
We think it stands out above all with its spicy freshness and light sweetness. It is also less spicy than peppermint because it contains less menthol.
We recommend spearmint for sweets, to flavor sauces or as a fresh touch in desserts.

The magic of Christmas has now completely got hold of us and we completely devote ourselves to the classic Christmas market delicacies.
What should not be missing at Christmas time is mulled wine! Our two mulled wine spice extracts can convince either with their spicy or rather fruity taste.
The fruity version gives the classic a special touch. Berry aromas are in the foreground and are reminiscent of blackberries. A fine note of vanilla gives the extract that certain something. The spicy extract tastes of cinnamon and cloves. A hint of cardamom provides the ultimate Christmas flavor.

Nanamint or Moroccan mint is less methol-like than peppermint. This mint combines freshness, but also floral notes, as well as the taste of aloe vera. Mild sweetness meets a subtle sharpness. Moroccan mint is used particularly in teas.
For our nanamint extract we use mint leaves from certified organic cultivation in Italy. We have already been convinced of this fine mint aroma in our laboratory experiments.
The special flavor profile of nanamint can be perfectly combined with cold and hot drinks in the form of our natural mint extract. It is also excellent in sweets and candies!

If you have a very close look this herb does not even belong to the mint genus, however, they both come from the mint family and are closely related.
Gundermann or also Gundelrebe visually resembles the mint leaves as we know them, but their leaves are heart-shaped. As a medicinal plant, it was well known among the Germans and in the Middle Ages. Its name derives from the ancient pennyroyal.
Gundermann is used as a spring herb in soups or in salads and also does not have a typical mint smell. We are particularly enthusiastic about its strong and herbal note. It complements well with the rest of our mint range.

Citrus extracts can be used in many different ways and can be combined in multiple ways. You probably know the combination of dark chocolate and orange, but have you ever dared more?
We brought the wonderful flavor combination of citrus extracts and chocolate to life in the form of our chocolates. The extracts are oil-based and are therefore perfect for use in chocolatey creations.

These 4 combinations melt in our mouths:

• Organic white chocolate meets clementine extract
• Organic white chocolate meets cedar lemon extract
• Dark organic chocolate meets bergamot extract
• Dark organic chocolate meets red tangerine extract

Clementine and cedar lemon harmonize perfectly with a delicate, light ganache made from white couverture, while we find the combination of tangerine and bergamot with a fine, dark ganache made from dark couverture very harmonious.
The praline samples are handmade. In addition to the various fillings, the crunchy casings are also cast and colored by hand.

Number 2 of our mint series is the well-known classic: peppermint. Mint and peppermint are often used as synonyms, but mint is the genus and peppermint is the variety.
The nickname "piperita" refers to the refreshing taste of the mint variety. It stands out for its spicy and very aromatic notes. Its menthol content in particular is significantly higher than that of other types of mint. When we made our own peppermint extract using our vacuum rotary evaporator, we also noticed mild, tea-like flavors.

We know the taste of peppermint from candies, chocolate pralines or ice cream. Have we piqued your interest in trying our peppermint extract?

Last week we visited the organic farm Stövesandt in Niedersachsen. There we looked at how ginger and turmeric are grown. Particularly impressive: It is possible to plant ginger and turmeric in Germany! We have learned that a great of know-how is required to make them grow that well. This includes, for example, the so-called "mother tubers" having to germinate for several weeks before they are sown. Many new ginger tubers then develop from the mother tubers.
When the ginger is harvested, it is washed, cut, sorted and packaged on site so that it can be sold fresh. Due to the regional cultivation, it does not have to be imported from other countries, which is a great climate-friendly advantage. Fresh ginger looks much more colorful than the ginger that we know from the supermarket. It also tastes a little fresher and even a little juicy.

We took some of the ginger with us for our laboratory tests and are currently working on an organic ginger extract from Germany.

Our Naturland-certified lemon, orange and cola spice extracts are Naturland certified.

Independent checks are carried out on our extracts several times a year to ensure the highest standard and to maintain the internationally recognized certification. Ecological production systems and sustainability in production are of particular relevance. The Naturland guidelines cover areas that go beyond the EC organic regulation and therefore offer a high level of ecological quality.

Our extracts lemon, orange and spice extract type cola are ideal for use in beverages or confectionery!

Our goal is to make all our business processes climate-neutral by 2024. We have implemented another small step in this direction in the last few weeks.

We have switched all our employee credit cards to the provider Pliant. On the one hand, you have very good cost control, you can see immediately which documents are missing and all transactions can be synchronized with DATEV.
On the other hand, with every transaction we see how much CO2 is generated. Pliant has various climate projects, so it is possible for us to offset our business expenses and the associated CO2 emissions.

CO2 compensation is about emissions that a company cannot avoid. This can be offset by investing in certified sustainability projects. These projects are designed to reduce future emissions.

At the end of the year we get a certificate and know how much CO2 we have emitted due to business trips. An example: A flight from Berlin to Munich with 3 overnight stays and a taxi ride to and from the hotel results in CO2 emissions of 245.7 kg.

Programs are currently being supported in Ghana (efficient cooking stoves), India (solar water heaters) and Bulgaria (methane reduction).

Ginkgo is the Japanese temple tree that is sacred in China and Japan. But how does gingko actually taste?

We mixed dried organic ginkgo leaves with an ethanolic-aqueous solution to create a macerate. Thus, the ingredients and flavorings were released from the leaves. The ginkgo leaves were then sieved out of the solution and the extract was filtered so that no solids remained in the extract. In the last step, the extract was evaporated to a thick extract in a rotary evaporator.

The ginkgo leaves convinced us in terms of taste: They give a pleasantly mild, green, tea-like and round aroma.

We start our mint series with apple mint. For us, it's all about the taste!

Its name already says it all: apple mint impresses with its light apple taste and scent. The mint experience is sweet, refreshing and fruity, which makes it ideal for hot and cold beverage creations. A lower menthol content allows the sweet aromas to stand out more. Lemonades, teas and sweets are perfect for an apple mint refinement.

Have you ever tried apple mint?

Did you know that #mint is not just mint? In the past few weeks we have been experimenting a lot with unusual mint varieties. Do you know the difference between pineapple and apple mint? We are amazed at the difference in taste.

Get ready for exciting updates from our lab!

This month we are not only on the subject of bourbon vanilla beans, but also as part of our non-profit association Help Mada e. V. traveled to the northeast of Madagascar. Our insights there overwhelmed us.

What exactly do we do at Help Mada?
The large island state of #Madagascar generally has poor infrastructure and a comparatively low standard of living. Medical care and education suffer as a result. Often there is neither a hospital nor a school for miles - especially in the rural areas. The United Nations Human Development Index is 176 out of 191 listed countries.

Very few own a car and if a journey is contested by vehicle, very poor road conditions sometimes make the journey more difficult. In relation: We needed about 1.5 hours by car for the 10km-long way to the village of Namohana.

For this reason, since 2020 we have been supporting the construction of schools and health centers in rural areas in north-eastern Madagascar by collecting donations.

During the trip, we felt the impact these projects can have on people. Unexpectedly, the whole village in Namohana welcomed us with happy dancing and singing. The plan is to build an infirmary that will not only provide medical care to the residents of Namohana, but also to the surrounding villages. This will give almost 18,000 people access to first aid and medicines. With the cheerful reception, the villagers thanked us for the planned project.

We still need a small part of the required sum to start construction, but our stay has strengthened us all the more in our mission. We hope all the more that construction can begin soon.

If you want to learn more or support us, there is more information on our website www.help-mada.org.

By the way: 100% of the donations flow directly into the local projects!

The answer to that is not that simple. It is clear that the cultivation and harvesting process takes a lot of time and effort. As we found out on our last trip to Madagascar on the trail of Bourbon #Vanilla, it takes sensitivity, patience and lots of hard-working hands. The vanilla plant initially needs about three years until it forms flowers. That's when it gets exciting: Only once a year does it open its flowers for a few hours and hand pollination can take place. When the pods are formed a few months after pollination, they can be picked. After a bath in hot water, drying processes follow several weeks of fermentation. In the morning the pods are laid out in the sun to dry and in the evening stored to “sweat”. The pods are then dried in storage rooms for two to three months. Only then is it sorted into different quality levels, depending on the vanilin content and moisture level. Depending on many factors, the quiz question cannot be answered unequivocally. What is certain is that there is a lot of manual work and effort behind the popular spice. Did you expect that? We, nutramaxx, buy our bourbon vanilla beans directly from the processor, who in turn buys the beans from the vanilla farmers at fair prices. We extract the pods and supply them to food manufacturers from a wide variety of sectors.

The juniper is well known to us in the production of #gin. Fresh from our taste laboratory, it is the essential oils of the berries in particular that are responsible for the round aroma in our organic juniper distillate. They ensure a pleasant and balanced taste profile: we are used to the sweet, flowery, spicy and pine-like notes from the delicious trendy drink.

But can you only make gin from juniper? Our juniper berry distillate can be found in a wide variety of drinks and other foods. How about an #organic juniper berry lemonade instead of gin?

For our juniper berry distillate we use organic juniper berries from European cultivation. These are macerated with alcohol before distillation, and the aromas described above are obtained during the subsequent, gentle vacuum distillation.

If you are interested in a sample or further information, simply write to us at info@naturallymade.com!

We are used to special tastes, but we have rarely encountered such a special taste. We have been tinkering in our laboratory and today we present our Ashwagandha extract, which can be described as bitter and sweet, but also reminiscent of earthy, woody, herbal and slightly hay aromas. For the new flavor combination, we extracted whole, dried Ashwagandha roots in a solid-liquid extraction to get as many flavors as possible. The liquid was then carefully filtered before we gently concentrated the extract into a viscous extract in our vacuum rotary evaporator. Ashwagandha belongs to the nightshade family and is also known under the names sleeping berry, winter cherry or Indian ginseng. It is considered a medicinal plant in Ayurvedic medicine and means something like "smell of the horse". But don't worry: the grassy olfactory notes of the root dissipate during the production of our extract in the laboratory. If you are interested in a sample or further information, simply write to us at info@naturallymade.com!

...extract them! There is a real lemon trend this summer, ranging from aesthetic table decorations in restaurants to irreplaceable ingredients in refreshing drinks and food. The sour but simple ingredient tastes best when left in its natural state. Our #BIO lemons and conventional lemon extracts in different flavor profiles are perfect for turning summer product ideas into reality. If you are interested in a sample or further information, simply write to us at info@naturallymade.com!

Fresh from our development lab, our #BIO angostura bark extract. Did you know that the name was derived from the city "Angostura", today Ciudad Bolivar, a city in Venezuela. "Angosturari bark" are the dried bark pieces with a strong, spicy, bitter taste of the angostura tree Cusparia trifoliata Engl. (Rubiaeae family) that grows wild in South America, especially on the banks of the Orinoco in Venezuela. The bark, mainly used for so-called Angostura bitters, contains aroma (1.5% essential oil with 14% calipol) and bitter substances (especially angosturine) and is mainly imported by the essence and spirits industry. We have developed an organic angosturari bark extract from this raw material, which is excellent for use in drinks to give them a bitter note. If you are interested in a sample or more information, just write to us at info@naturallymade.com!

Our youngest family member is our vacuum rotary evaporator from Heidolph Instruments GmbH & Co. KG, which helps us to distill and extract new natural raw materials. The rotation and heating of the flask in the heating bath produces steam that flows through the condenser. Condensation takes place and liquid enters the receiving flask. At the same time, the boiling temperature is reduced by applying a vacuum, which means that evaporation can take place at lower temperatures. This process is very helpful, especially with temperature-sensitive raw materials, as it is particularly gentle on the aroma. We already have a few attempts behind us. Clear favourite: our angostura bark extract, which adds a bitter note to drinks.

The years 2021 and 2022 were particularly important for the vanilla harvest in Madagascar. Exports rose rapidly and reached a peak not reached in the last 20 years. Instead of the usual 1600-2000 tons per year, 3187 tons were achieved. In 2021, the Malagasy government set a minimum export price of 250 USD/kg, which will apply until 2023. To protect local workers, the minimum price a vanilla farmer receives for a kilo of green vanilla beans is 70,000 Ariary, which is about $17. The vanilla harvest in Madagascar is currently satisfactory with a vanillin content of 1.6-2%; the quality of the harvest will not change for the time being. However, the Malagasy currency is still very weak and the development of the USD and EUR will lead to further devaluation.

In the photo, it is still standing inconspicuously and securely packed in front of the foodlab, Hamburg's first address for innovative creatives in the culinary and food sector. But soon its first working day will begin: with a state-of-the-art rotary evaporator from the company Heidolph, we at Nutramaxx are taking our flavor management to the next level for you. Intuitively and gently we can extract, intensify and compose flavors. Your individual wishes for special and exclusive flavors are (almost) unlimited. Look forward to further insights!

The BioFach trade fair in Nuremberg could take place again this year. As a Naturland sign partner, we didn't have a stand this year, but we were able to concentrate fully on the many exciting exhibitors. We were particularly inspired by the many start-ups with their exciting ideas. Our key takeaway: The trade fair once again made it clear how important personal contact is and what exciting developments there are in the food sector. We are already looking forward to next year!

We didn't stop at a new logo: our website has also been redesigned and optimized from the ground up. Enjoy a flight over the jungle or explore step by step how we work with you to get your product from the initial idea to market readiness. We at Nutramaxx stand for flexibility and customized solutions—look forward to more exciting features on this site in the coming months. Have fun and stay tuned!

You are already used to freshness from our products — today we are proud to present to you our new brand identity with an equally fresh redesign: An appearance, colorfully supported by our closeness to nature, in writing and design a convincing combination of reliable quality, modern processes and attention to detail. Have you already discovered which flower is hidden in our new logo? Our old logo was a fusion of the letters "NM" that just wasn't up to date anymore. We derived "naturallymade" from the "NM" because this is what defines the identity of our products: naturalness.

At the renowned German Brand Award, Help Mada e.V. won in two categories: Gold in Non-Govern­mental Organizations & Public Affairs and a special mention as Newcomer Brand of the Year! At the award ceremony in Berlin, Michael Behr, founder and CEO of Nutramaxx and first chairman of Help Mada, and Lilly Koch, Digital Marketing Consultant of Nutramaxx and project manager at Help Mada, accepted the award in person.