Andy and Sarah Kubiak. Photos: Vickey Weiss Photography; Dogfish Media
A Lakeland company creates world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified pure vanilla extract.
For two lifelong St. Croix Valley residents, a passion for one common household ingredient has brought a joy and recognition they couldn’t have imagined.
Andy and Sara Kubiak are the founders of Vanilla Bean Project, a company that recently achieved an historic feat in producing the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) vanilla extract.
It all started six years ago when the Kubiaks ventured out into the waters of entrepreneurship. Perfectly paired from the beginning, the couple relied on Andy’s expertise in the food distribution industry and Sara’s background as a publicist to bring their vision to life. “We wanted to do something together, but we didn’t know what. Then we found vanilla. Making vanilla extract and making vanilla bean paste, we found something we love,” Andy says.
Vanilla is derived from the dried and cured fruits of the orchid Vanilla planifolia and is grown in tropical climates around the world. The Kubiaks source vanilla from regenerative organic farms in Madagascar and Indonesia.
Once the Kubiaks’ formula for pure vanilla extract was approved, Vanilla Bean Project was born. In the beginning, the couple focused on selling one product, their small-batch pure vanilla extract aptly named St. Croix Brand. It’s popular at local retailers, including River Market in Stillwater and Jordan Meats and Deli in Lakeland. Vanilla Bean Project products can also be purchased on the company’s website and Amazon.
Vanilla Bean Project products can be found locally at River Market and Jordan Meats and Deli.
In addition to St. Croix Brand, the Kubiaks also sell the ROC pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and Madagascar whole vanilla beans under the Vanilla Bean Project label. The couple’s bulk business is also a large part of the operation in Lakeland.
As the first vanilla extract producer to achieve ROC status, the Kubiaks are showing their commitment to humans and the environment. ROC is a relatively new, holistic certification for food, textiles and personal care
ingredients. Its guidelines are overseen by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a nonprofit organization responsible for ensuring companies are meeting the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare and farmworker fairness.
“Andy and I have huge visions of what we want to accomplish with our company, which means doing better by vanilla bean growers and the planet—really creating something big,” Sara says.
Based in Lakeland, the Kubiaks say there’s no better place in the world to make vanilla. “Sara grew up in Stillwater; I grew up in Afton. We’re products of this Valley,” Andy says. “We raised our family here. It’s home.”
The couple has built up a strong customer base that extends far beyond the Land of 10,000 Lakes. From Maine to Alaska, their products can be found in cafes, general stores, coffee houses, co-ops and specialty retailers.
“That’s the beauty of vanilla, it’s not going anywhere,” Sara says. “Vanilla is a part of [people’s] lives. And if we can make that part better and make the best vanilla, that feels good.”
Curious about how to use vanilla bean paste? Andy and Sara Kubiak share a few recipes to help get you started.
Vanilla Bean Project
651.436.1948
Facebook: Vanilla Bean Project
Instagram: @vanillabeanproject
