Imbibe

What Imbibe does

Imbibe is a privately held B2B flavor and product development company founded in 1963 by MIT chemist Sumner Katz and headquartered in Niles, Illinois. The company designs custom flavor concentrates, taste modulation ingredients, and end-to-end product development services for established consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, emerging and scaling food and beverage companies, and food service operators. Its technical platform is built around 20,000+ flavor formulations, a dedicated pilot plant capable of simulating commercial processes (carbonation, hot-fill, UHT, nitrogenation, retort, spray drying, OMVE), and a sensory lab with eight tasting booths. Core proprietary technology centers on three trademarked taste modulation lines: SweetSense® Flavors with Modifying Properties (sweetness amplification for sugar reduction), NonSense® Maskers (off-note suppression for functional ingredients, proteins, and high-intensity sweeteners), and MakeSense™ Mouthfeel Enhancers (creaminess and body in alt-dairy applications), grouped under The Senses™ collection. Supporting services include the Flavor Drop monthly release program, Flavor Innovation collaborative development, Full Product Development end-to-end formulation, and a Finished Products turnkey offering coordinated through a co-packer network.

Imbibe generates revenue through three streams: sale of custom flavor compounds and taste modulation ingredients (one-time purchases with 150 lb minimum order quantities, quote-based pricing), professional product development services (formulation, flavor chemistry, sensory science, regulatory, and commercialization), and managed turnkey services (concept-to-shelf program management with co-packer oversight). Pricing is non-public and bespoke per project. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales — a dedicated team of Product Development, Flavor Chemistry, and Taste Modulation specialists engages brand R&D functions directly, supplemented by webinars, industry events (SupplySide Global, IFTPS, CiderCon, Cannabis Drinks Expo), trend reports (2027 Flavor Forecast), a trendspotting newsletter, and earned media in trade publications. Customer outcomes cited include a 98% recommendation rate across flavors, technical expertise, speed, responsiveness, and partnership, with case studies spanning alt-dairy barista milk, multi-format horchata-inspired bases, and other functional beverage launches.

The company is independently and privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds or parent entity. Leadership includes Chairman and CEO Andrew Rashkow, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Andy Dratt, Chief Operations Officer Will Lennon, and SVP R&D and Innovation Shehzad Hoosein. Imbibe has no identified subsidiaries, no public M&A history, and operates with 11-50 employees from a single Chicagoland campus that has been incrementally expanded (Innovation Center in 2013, pilot plant upgrades in 2015, sensory capacity expansion in 2022). The customer roster is not publicly disclosed, but anonymized case studies and the 98% recommendation rate indicate a diversified, sticky base across CPG, food service, and emerging brand segments.

Name

Imbibe

Legal name

Imbibe

Website

https://imbibeinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Imbibe is a privately held B2B flavor and product development company that designs custom flavors, taste modulation ingredients, and turnkey beverage and food formulations for CPG brands, emerging food and beverage companies, and food service operators globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flavor Ingredients & Beverage Product Development

NAICS

Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (311930), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial) (CRADAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sweetness Modulators & Enhancers (Sweetness Boosters, Temporal Modifiers) (AFAJADAH)

Keywords

• Beverage product development
• Flavor formulation services
• Taste modulation
• Custom flavor ingredients
• Food science consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Niles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Flavor Ingredients: Sale of custom flavor compounds and taste modulation ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers. Minimum order quantities of 150 lbs for flavors.
2. Product Development Services: Full product development partnership including formulation, flavor chemistry, sensory science, regulatory guidance, and commercialization support for beverage and food brands.
3. Finished Products/Turnkey Solutions: End-to-end leadership from concept to shelf including sourcing, co-man selection, packaging, and QA. Partners own their formulas and can manufacture wherever suits their needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Imbibe is a B2B flavor and product development company that designs and supplies custom flavor concentrates, taste modulation ingredients (SweetSense®, NonSense®, MakeSense™), and end-to-end formulation services for food and beverage brands. Its offerings span custom flavor creation, full product development partnership, and finished product/turnkey solutions managing sourcing, co-man selection, packaging, and QA from concept to shelf.

Product overview

Imbibe is a flavor and product development company founded in 1963, offering a portfolio of ingredients and development services for the food and beverage industry. The core offering consists of Imbibe Flavors (characterizing flavors, sweetness modulators, mouthfeel modulators, and maskers) supported by three proprietary taste modulation technologies: SweetSense® (sweetness modulators), MakeSense™ (mouthfeel enhancers), and NonSense® (off-note maskers). The Flavor Drop program provides monthly new flavor releases. Beyond ingredients, Imbibe offers Flavor Innovation services for custom flavor development, Full Product Development services for end-to-end formulation support, and Finished Products/turnkey solutions for brands lacking manufacturing infrastructure. The company also provides the Taste Mod Toolkit—a systematic set of purpose-built formulation tools designed to solve real-world challenges like bitterness, astringency, and protein off-notes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Imbibe Flavors Custom flavor concentrates and ingredients for food and beverage applications, including characterizing flavors, sweetness modulators, mouthfeel modulators, and maskers, available in liquid, emulsion, powder, oil, and water-soluble formats. Targeted at food and beverage manufacturers.
• SweetSense® Flavors with Modifying Properties (FMPs) Proprietary sweetness modulators that amplify the inherent sweetness in food and beverage products, supporting multi-dimensional flavor and sweetness experiences while reducing sugar content. Used by food and beverage manufacturers formulating with reduced sugar or alternative sweetener systems.
• NonSense® Maskers Masking technology ingredients that mute unwanted off-notes (bitterness, astringency, earthy, metallic, savory notes) from functional ingredients, high-intensity sweeteners, and proteins in food and beverage applications. Targeted at formulators working with challenging functional ingredient systems.
• MakeSense™ Mouthfeel Enhancers Proprietary mouthfeel enhancer ingredients that improve creaminess and richness of alt-dairy products while delivering cohesive flavor experiences. Targeted at alt-dairy and dairy-adjacent food and beverage manufacturers.
• Flavor Innovation Service Collaborative custom flavor development service in which Imbibe flavorists work alongside product developers and taste modulation scientists to design and validate flavors for specific food and beverage applications. For food and beverage manufacturers seeking bespoke flavor creation.
• Full Product Development Service End-to-end product development services for companies with or without in-house R&D, providing scientists, flavorists, and commercialization experts who handle formulation, sensory science, regulatory guidance, scale-up, and launch — including access to pilot plant facilities. Targeted at food and beverage brands seeking outsourced R&D and commercialization support.
• Finished Products / Turnkey Solutions Turnkey manufacturing and commercialization solution offering end-to-end leadership from concept to shelf, including ingredient sourcing, co-manufacturer selection, packaging, and quality assurance. Partners maintain formula ownership while Imbibe handles manufacturing oversight and execution. For emerging brands that do not own manufacturing infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of customers would recommend Imbibe

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bigger TableminorOthersNon-profit partnership supporting food insecurity relief in Chicagoland. Bigger Table has supplied more than 300k servings of food throughout Chicagoland. Imbibe donates ingredients and employee time to help feed the food insecure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gold Coast Ingredients: US-based custom flavor manufacturer serving food and beverage brands with similar mid-market positioning to Imbibe, including sweetness enhancement and masking solutions for functional applications.
• Bell Flavors & Fragrances: Privately held US-based flavor and fragrance manufacturer of comparable scale to Imbibe, offering custom flavor development, taste modulation, and product development services to CPG and beverage customers in overlapping end markets.
• Synergy Flavors: Specialty flavor house offering taste modulation technologies (sweetness enhancers, bitterness blockers, mouthfeel modifiers) with a comparable customer base of CPG and beverage brands, positioning it as a direct mid-market peer.

Broad incumbents

• Givaudan: World's largest flavors and fragrances company offering taste modulation, sweetness enhancers, and maskers (e.g., TasteSolutions) directly competitive with Imbibe's SweetSense and NonSense portfolios, but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Global ingredient powerhouse with a Health & Biosciences division that develops taste modulation systems (Modulance, Designed Enzymatic Solutions) and beverage flavors, overlapping directly with Imbibe's product development and taste modulation offerings.
• Kerry Group: Ireland-based taste and nutrition company with a dedicated Taste & Beverage Solutions division serving CPG brands with flavor systems, mouthfeel modulators, and sugar-reduction platforms comparable to Imbibe's portfolio.
• Symrise: Major flavor and nutrition house with Diana Foods and taste solutions offerings including bitterness maskers and sweetness enhancers, addressing the same CPG formulation challenges Imbibe targets.
• Firmenich: Swiss-based flavor and fragrance leader with extensive taste modulation capabilities (e.g., TastePRINT, SugarPro) and a global beverage application network, competing with Imbibe at the high end of the CPG customer set.
• Tate & Lyle: Global ingredient supplier specializing in sweetness and texture solutions (TasteTalents, DOLCIA PRIMA allulose) that compete directly with Imbibe's sugar-reduction and mouthfeel enhancement value proposition in food and beverage applications.
• Sensus (now Ingredion): Large-scale ingredient company with specialty sweeteners (frutafit, inulin) and clean-label formulation support relevant to the same sugar-reduction and functional beverage customers that Imbibe serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedrinktank
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedrinktank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imbibe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imbibe