Queen Fine Foods is Australia's leading producer of pure

vanilla extract Vanilla extract is a solution made by macerating and percolating vanilla pods in a solution of ethanol and water. It is considered an essential ingredient in many Western desserts, especially baked goods like cakes, cookies, brownies, and cupc ...

food colouring Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes. Food coloring is used in both commercial food ...

s, and baking aids. Queen Vanilla was named after and endorsed by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

. Queen is the top-selling brand of fine foods in Australian supermarkets, and is Queensland's longest-selling food brand.

History

In 1897

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the Sou ...

pharmacist Edward Taylor created a range of extracts, including

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from which t ...

. He and partner Mr. Colledge formed the Queen brand, and began to win awards for their flavourings. By the 1920s, the Queen Vanilla range was sold in hand made glass bottles. The company was purchased by the Himstedt family in 1978. Queen's manufacturing facility was established in Alderley,

during the 1980s. Between 2000-2010 the company established strong ties with vanilla farmers, and provided education, training and funding in vanilla producing countries, in particular

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. By 2014, Queen was also providing funding, equipment and education to Vanilla farmers in Vava'u,

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. In 2015 Queen Fine Foods was acquired by German brand Dr. Oetker. Fred Himstedt is the Managing Director, with his sons Fred, Sam, and Tom holding key positions.

Awards

;Most Innovative Food Ingredient 2005 In 2017, Queen Fine Foods was inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame In 2009 State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Q ...

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://queen.com.au
International Food & Drink EventQueensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame - 2017 Inductee digital story - Queen
Food manufacturers of Australia