What S&S Flavors does

S&S Flavors is a B2B custom flavor manufacturer founded in 1928 in Brea, California, specializing in proprietary liquid and powdered flavor systems for food and beverage companies. The company develops signature flavors tailored to customer processing conditions, ingredient requirements, and regulatory compliance needs, offering variants across delivery formats (oil-soluble, water-soluble, powdered) and formulation types (natural, organic, natural & artificial). S&S serves diverse vertical markets including coffee, tea, confections, beverages, ice cream, bakery, alcoholic beverages (TTB-regulated), and pet snacks, with comprehensive certifications including BRCGS food safety, QAI organic, USDA organic, and Orthodox Union Kosher.

The company operates on a project-based sales model with direct B2B engagement, sample request workflows, and custom formulation development supported by four generations of accumulated flavor expertise. S&S maintains a small workforce (11-50 employees) operating from its single Brea, California headquarters and manufacturing facility, focusing on the West Coast market of North America.

In July 2026, S&S Flavors was acquired by FlavorSum, a North American flavor solutions company backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus. The transaction preserved S&S's workforce and product development capabilities while establishing the FlavorSum West Coast Innovation Center at the Brea facility and adding powdered flavor capabilities to complement FlavorSum's existing strengths in beverages, bakery, dairy, sports nutrition, and gummies.

Name

S&S Flavors

Legal name

S&S Flavors

Website

https://ssflavors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

S&S Flavors is a B2B custom manufacturer of proprietary liquid and powdered flavor systems, founded in 1928, serving food and beverage companies across coffee, tea, confections, beverages, bakery, and pet snacks verticals with organic and kosher-certified offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flavor and Color Manufacturing

NAICS

Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Flavor Houses & Compound Flavor Manufacturing (AFAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO), Clean-Label/Natural Flavor Solutions (Natural WONF, Natural Identical where applicable) (AFAJADAL)

Keywords

• Custom flavor manufacturing
• Food and beverage flavors
• Powdered flavor systems
• Organic flavor certification
• Natural food coloring

Headquarters

HQ city

Brea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Flavor Manufacturing: S&S Flavors generates revenue as a custom flavor manufacturer creating proprietary and exclusive products for food and beverage companies. They develop signature flavors tailored to customers' processing conditions, ingredient requirements, and regulatory compliance needs. The company operates on a project-based model working directly with manufacturers across confectionery, bakery, dairy, beverages, ice cream, pet snacks, and TTB (alcoholic beverages) segments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

S&S Flavors is a custom flavor and color manufacturer that develops proprietary liquid and powdered flavor systems for food and beverage companies. The company creates signature flavors tailored to customer processing conditions, ingredient requirements, and regulatory compliance needs across verticals including confectionery, bakery, dairy, beverages, ice cream, alcoholic beverages, and pet snacks. Variants include oil soluble, water soluble, natural, organic, and natural & artificial formulations, along with both artificial (FD&C) and natural food colors.

Product overview

S&S Flavors is a dedicated custom manufacturer of proprietary liquid and powdered flavor systems founded in 1928. The company operates as a single unified product offering—custom flavor development and manufacturing—with variants categorized by delivery format (liquid vs. powdered) and formulation type (oil-soluble, water-soluble, natural, organic, and natural & artificial). These custom flavor systems serve diverse industries including coffee, tea, confections, beverages, ice cream, bakery, alcoholic beverages (TTB), and pet snacks. The company was acquired by FlavorSum in July 2026, establishing the FlavorSum West Coast Innovation Center in Brea, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Liquid Flavor Systems Custom-formulated liquid flavor systems developed for food and beverage manufacturers, with format options including oil-soluble and water-soluble variants and formulation options including natural, organic, and natural & artificial.
• Custom Powdered Flavor Systems Plated powdered flavors developed for food and beverage applications, available in NON-GMO, Organic, Natural, and Natural & Artificial formulation options.
• Custom Food Color Systems Custom food color capabilities covering both artificial (FD&C) and natural colors for food coloring applications across the company's served verticals.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• Keystone Business AdvisorsminorOthersKeystone Business Advisors served as financial advisor to the shareholders of S&S Flavors, advising on the sale to FlavorSum.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Givaudan: Givaudan is the world's largest flavor and fragrance company with global R&D and a vast proprietary flavor portfolio. It is the leading broad incumbent competing for large CPG flavor programs that S&S's mid-market customers may eventually graduate into.
• Symrise: Symrise is a global flavor and fragrance major with substantial capabilities in sweet and beverage flavor systems overlapping S&S's coffee, tea, and confectionery verticals. As a broad incumbent, it competes for larger enterprise customer accounts.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): IFF is a major global flavor and ingredients company with deep capabilities across food, beverage, and nutrition. It represents a broad incumbent competitor that larger S&S customers may engage for integrated flavor and functional ingredient solutions.
• Kerry Group: Kerry Group is a global taste and nutrition company with deep flavor systems across food and beverage categories. As a broad incumbent, it competes with S&S at larger customer accounts and represents the scale-up competitive threat facing specialty houses.
• Firmenich: Firmenich is one of the largest privately held flavor and fragrance houses globally with deep proprietary flavor capabilities across food and beverage. It is comparable as a broad incumbent whose scale and reach shape competitive dynamics in the flavor industry.

Direct peers

• Mission Flavors & Fragrances: Mission Flavors & Fragrances is a California-based custom flavor and fragrance manufacturer serving food, beverage, and personal care clients. It competes directly with S&S in custom liquid and powdered flavor systems for similar mid-market CPG customers.
• Flavorchem: Flavorchem is a privately held custom flavor and color manufacturer serving food and beverage customers with proprietary formulations. It is comparable in business model, custom B2B approach, and mid-market scale to S&S.
• FlavorSum: FlavorSum is the acquirer of S&S Flavors and operates as a North American flavor solutions company with overlapping capabilities in beverages, bakery, dairy, sports nutrition, and gummies. As the parent and direct strategic counterpart, it is the most operationally comparable peer.
• Gold Coast Ingredients: Gold Coast Ingredients is a Southern California-based custom flavor manufacturer serving food and beverage customers. It shares S&S's geographic footprint, custom B2B model, and mid-market specialty positioning.
• Bell Flavors & Fragrances: Bell is a long-standing privately held custom flavor and fragrance manufacturer serving food, beverage, and personal care customers across multiple verticals. It mirrors S&S's custom formulation, broad vertical reach, and family/founder heritage business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 S&S Flavors