LAFAZA

What LAFAZA does

LAFAZA is a specialty food company that sources, processes, and distributes premium Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and complementary Malagasy spices (Ceylon cinnamon, black pepper, pink peppercorns, cloves) under a direct-trade model built around smallholder farmer cooperatives in Madagascar. Founded in 2005 as The Field Trading Co. and rebranded to LAFAZA in 2013, the company sells through three channels: a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront shipping globally, a wholesale program serving CPG manufacturers, culinary professionals, and distributors with bulk formats, and shelf placement in major US retail chains including Safeway, Albertsons, HEB, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon. The product portfolio spans retail to bulk sizes across vanilla beans, vanilla extract, ground vanilla, vanilla bean paste, and value-added sugar blends, with parallel USDA Organic, Fair Trade, Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free, and Kosher certification tracks.

The company's underlying technology is its direct-trade supply chain infrastructure rather than a software platform: on-the-ground teams in Madagascar provide year-round support to farmer cooperatives, enable sustainable agroforestry cultivation methods rather than mono-cropped plantations, and oversee traditional curing and processing that produces vanilla described as containing over 250 active flavor compounds. E-commerce operates on Shopify's standard platform without disclosed proprietary technology layers. Intellectual property rests on origin story (Peace Corps roots), farmer relationships built since 2005, and a stacked certification portfolio rather than patents or proprietary algorithms.

The business model is multi-channel CPG with three revenue streams: direct e-commerce unit sales ($5.99–$199.99 retail price range with first-order 25% discount), wholesale B2B ingredient sales with custom business pricing, and retail distribution via grocery and marketplace channels. Pricing is unit-based and transactional across all channels, with no subscription or recurring revenue model disclosed. Customers span at-home cooking enthusiasts, professional chefs and bakers, craft food and beverage manufacturers, and natural-grocery retail shoppers. The company employs 101–250 people, is headquartered in Berkeley, California with sourcing operations in Madagascar, and is privately held with founders Nathaniel Delafield (CEO), James Delafield (President), Sarah Osterhoudt (Sustainability Advisor), and Dan Pargee (COO) maintaining operational control.

Name

LAFAZA

Legal name

LAFAZA Foods

Website

https://lafaza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LAFAZA is a specialty food company that sources and distributes premium Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and complementary Malagasy spices through a direct-trade model, serving at-home cooks, culinary professionals, CPG manufacturers, and major US grocery retailers including Whole Foods and Safeway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Vanilla and Spices

NAICS

Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial) (CRADAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Single-Origin Spices (Geographic/Varietal, Premium Grades) (AFAJANAK), Ethnic Spices, Herbs & Seasonings Wholesale (AFAIAIAF), Coffee & Tea Concentrates, Syrups & Extracts (CRADAHAI)

Keywords

• Madagascar vanilla beans
• Bourbon vanilla extract
• Direct trade spices
• Organic vanilla products
• Wholesale spice supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Antananarivo

HQ country

Madagascar

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through Shopify-powered online storefront. Products include vanilla beans, vanilla extract, ground vanilla, vanilla paste, cinnamon, sugar blends, black pepper, pink peppercorns, and cloves in various sizes from retail to bulk quantities.
2. Wholesale/B2B Ingredient Sales: Bulk ingredient sales to CPG manufacturers, culinary professionals, restaurants, and retailers through a registered wholesale account program with custom pricing. Products sold in bulk sizes including gallon containers, kilogram quantities, and bulk pounds.
3. Retail Distribution: Products distributed through major retail chains including Safeway, Albertsons, Amazon, HEB, and Whole Foods Market, generating revenue through wholesale to retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LAFAZA sources, processes, and distributes Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, vanilla extract, ground vanilla, vanilla paste, and complementary Malagasy spices (Ceylon cinnamon, black pepper, pink peppercorns, cloves) through a direct-trade model connecting smallholder farmers in Madagascar with global gourmet markets. Products are sold in retail sizes via a Shopify-based direct-to-consumer storefront and in bulk sizes through a wholesale channel serving CPG manufacturers, culinary professionals, distributors, and retailers.

Product overview

LAFAZA is a direct-trade specialty food company selling Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and premium spices. Founded in 2005, the company operates a multi-product portfolio centered on vanilla (beans, extract, ground vanilla, vanilla paste) complemented by other Malagasy spices (Ceylon cinnamon, black pepper, pink peppercorns, cloves) and value-added sugar blends. Products are available in both organic (USDA Organic certified) and conventional (Non-GMO Project Verified) varieties, sold at retail sizes for home consumers and bulk sizes for commercial customers (bakeries, restaurants, CPG manufacturers, distributors). The company offers bundled product collections for both home and business segments. Their direct-trade model connects smallholder farmers in Madagascar's Toamasina and Mananara-Nord regions directly with gourmet markets worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Vanilla Beans USDA Organic Certified Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, Grade A-1, with deep black coloration and moist, flexible pods full of seeds, sold in retail and bulk sizes to home bakers, culinary professionals, and CPG manufacturers.
• Pure Vanilla Beans Non-GMO Project Verified A-1 Grade Premium Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans with deep black coloration and moist, flexible pods, sold to home bakers, chefs, and CPG manufacturers.
• Organic Vanilla Extract USDA Organic Certified single-fold vanilla extract made from Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans using a slow extraction process, producing full-bodied creamy and rich flavor, available in 2oz, 4oz, 32oz, and 1 gallon sizes including double-fold varieties.
• Pure Vanilla Extract Non-GMO Project Verified single-fold vanilla extract containing a signature blend of all-natural Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, made using a slow cold-extraction process, available in 2oz, 4oz, 8oz, 32oz, and 1 gallon sizes including double-fold varieties.
• Organic Ground Vanilla USDA Organic Certified vanilla beans that have been sun-cured, dried, and ground to a fine powder sealed in glass jars, with nothing added and nothing lost, available in 1oz, 4oz, 8oz, and bulk kilogram sizes.
• Pure Ground Vanilla Non-GMO Project Verified Grade A-1 Bourbon vanilla beans sun-cured and ground to a fine powder, 100% pure vanilla with nothing added.
• Organic Vanilla Bean Paste

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 smallholder farmers and Malagasy partners benefit from LAFAZA's economic success
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Madagascar Smallholder Farmer CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005LAFAZA's foundational partnership with farmer-led cooperatives in Madagascar since 2005. The company works directly with farmer organizations, providing training, employment opportunities (especially for women), and social development investments including community libraries and resource centers. This partnership enables the direct-trade model that differentiates LAFAZA.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform hosting LAFAZA's online storefront, providing the technical infrastructure for direct-to-consumer sales, inventory management, and payment processing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Virginia Dare: Long-standing U.S. flavor extracts and vanilla supplier serving food manufacturers and beverage brands. Overlaps with LAFAZA's B2B vanilla extract channel serving CPG and food-service customers.
• McCormick & Company: Global flavor and spice giant offering vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves across retail and industrial ingredient channels. Competes with LAFAZA indirectly in retail spices and food-ingredient supply, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Symrise Diana Foods (Vanilla Division): Major B2B vanilla processor supplying extracts and natural flavors to large CPG customers. Competes with LAFAZA's wholesale/B2B ingredient business for industrial vanilla volumes.
• Frontier Co-op: Large cooperative supplying organic spices, baking ingredients and vanilla across retail and bulk wholesale channels. Overlaps with LAFAZA in organic vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves categories at a much wider scale.

Direct peers

• Rodelle Vanillas / Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extracts and gourmet baking ingredients sold through retail and grocery (including Whole Foods). Competes with LAFAZA in the retail premium vanilla aisle with similar bean, extract, and paste SKUs.
• Singing Dog Vanilla: Direct-trade and organic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla brand selling vanilla beans, extract, paste, and powder to consumers and wholesale. Comparable to LAFAZA in ethical-sourcing narrative, single-country origin, and DTC plus wholesale go-to-market.
• Nielsen-Massey Vanillas: Premium vanilla extracts, pastes, and pure vanilla products serving retail and professional chefs, including Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. Directly competes with LAFAZA across retail, foodservice, and ingredient channels in the gourmet vanilla category.

Emerging players

• Burlap & Barrel Spice Company: Direct-trade single-origin spice company selling to chefs and home cooks via DTC and wholesale. Similar ethical-sourcing positioning to LAFAZA but with broader spice portfolio and chef-led marketing.
• Tharakan Food / P&G International Foods (vanilla exporters): Vanilla bean and extract exporter focused on Madagascar and Indian origins, selling bulk to ingredient buyers. Comparable to LAFAZA's B2B wholesale channel but with less branded retail presence.

Regional players

• Daintree Vanilla / Daintree Estate Vanilla: Australian-sourced vanilla beans and extracts from a single estate in the Daintree region. Competes with LAFAZA in the single-origin, premium vanilla category but with a different geographic origin story.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_lafaza

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 LAFAZA