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Manufacturers

How our Spice Drops help your NPD

Holy Lama Naturals produces concentrated, high quality natural extracts of spices and herbs. We work with food and drink manufacturers who want quick new product development with unique, exciting and on trend flavours.

  • Smooth and consistent in taste and texture.
  • Fresh tasting flavours with long shelf life.
  • Easy scalability and automation of recipes.
  • Reduces prep stages and simplifies formulation.
  • Water and oil soluble options available.
  • Pure oleoresins and Ayurvedic herbal extracts are available.

Spice Drops contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are oxalate free. They are free from allergens, alcohol free, gluten free and GMO free, and the range is registered with the Vegan Society.

Download our Manufacturers Brochure.

Natural extracts, by industry

Our natural extracts are used as an ingredient by manufacturers of chocolate and confectionery, soft and alcoholic drinks, sauces, oils, and bakery products. Because the flavour is concentrated and liquid, dosing is precise and repeatable across a production run.

Holy Lama began as an essential oils and perfumery business, and that distillation knowledge is what the extracts are built on. Everything is made at our own factory in Kerala.

Why manufacturers use them

No prep stage. There is no grinding, infusing, steeping or straining. The extract goes in as a liquid.

Repeatable dosing. Ground spice varies between batches, between harvests and with age. A concentrated liquid extract does not, so the hundredth batch tastes like the first.

They disperse properly. The extracts are formulated with a plant derived emulsifier, which means they mix evenly into both water based and fat based systems rather than separating or sitting on the surface.

Long shelf life. Up to three years from manufacture when stored correctly, which changes how you can buy and hold stock.

Clean label. No artificial colourings, preservatives or flavourings.

Traceable. We buy direct from farms in Kerala and make the extracts ourselves, so the supply chain between the field and your production line is short and known.

Applications

Chocolate and confectionery. Cardamom, saffron, rose, mint and orange zest without introducing water or bulk into a tempered system.

Drinks. Used by distillers, brewers and soft drinks producers. Mulling spices, chai, ginger, lime zest and lemongrass are common starting points.

Sauces, pastes and oils. Garlic, red chilli, cumin, coriander seed and garam masala, added at the point in the process where you want the aroma to survive.

Bakery. Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and pumpkin spice, with no particulate and no colour bleed unless you want it.

Dosing

Spice Drops are dosed by the drop, so conversion is straightforward once you know the ratio for the flavour you are working with. The chart below is built directly from our own verified product data, not estimated.

Spice Drops conversion chart

Spice Drops are concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Start at the lower figure and adjust to taste.

Spice Drops to conventional quantity, by flavour
Spice Drops Drops Equivalent to Typical use
Cardamom 1 1/8 tsp ground cardamom, or seeds from 4 pods Rice, desserts, celebration cooking
Chai Spices (Tea Masala) 1 to 2 1/4 tsp ground spices One cup of chai
Cinnamon 2 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, or a 1/4 inch cinnamon stick Porridge, bakes, spiced lattes
Clove 1 4 whole cloves Mulled drinks, bakes, curries
Coriander Seed 2 1/4 tsp ground coriander Curries, dressings, roasted vegetables
Cumin Seed 1 to 2 1/4 tsp ground cumin Curries, dips, roasted vegetables
Fennel Seed 2 1/4 tsp ground fennel Tea, gin cocktails
Garam Masala 1 1/4 tsp ground garam masala Stirred in at the end of cooking
Garlic 4 1 clove of garlic Garlic bread, sauces, dressings
Ginger 1 1/2 tsp grated root ginger Ginger tea, baking, stir fries
Golden Turmeric (Turmeric Latte) 3 a 200ml cup of warm milk Turmeric latte, golden milk
Lavender 1 1/2 tsp dried lavender Lemonade, shortbread, cocktails
Lemon Zest 2 zest of 1 lemon Dressings, pasta, cakes
Lemongrass 1 1 stick of lemongrass Broths, curries, dressings
Lime Zest 4 zest of 1 lime Mayonnaise, marinades, cocktails
Lovage Seed 1 1/2 tsp ground lovage Pasta dressings, soups
Mint 1 4 to 6 mint leaves Mint tea, sauces, desserts
Mulling Spices 1 drop per 76ml of liquid Mulled wine, cider or apple juice
Nutmeg 2 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg White sauces, custards, bakes
Orange Zest 4 zest of 1/2 an orange Creme patissiere, buttercream, bakes
Oregano 1 1/4 tsp dried oregano Tomato dishes, feta, dressings
Paprika 4 1/4 tsp ground paprika Parmesan thins, roasted dishes
Peppermint 1 12 peppermint leaves Peppermint creams, chocolate, baking
Pumpkin Spice 2 1/5 tsp powdered pumpkin spice Pumpkin spice latte, bakes, porridge
Rosemary 2 1/4 tsp dried rosemary Chocolate thins, roasted dishes
Saffron 1 15 to 16 saffron strands Rice, desserts, celebration cooking
Sage 1 1/4 tsp dried sage Creamy sauces and dips
Tikka Masala 1 1/4 tsp ground tikka masala Marinades, sandwich fillings
Tulsi (Holy Basil) 1 6 tulsi leaves Iced tulsi tea
Turmeric 2 1/2 tsp ground turmeric Batters, rice, curries
Vanilla 4 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla pod Baking, coffee, desserts

Quantities are a starting point. Adjust to your own recipe and palate.

By industry

We also publish more detail for a number of specific sectors. If your industry is listed, it is worth a look before you get in touch:

How we make it

The extracts are produced at our own factory in Kerala using distillation and extraction techniques the family business has developed since the 1990s. The factory is semi automated and is a government recognised women's enterprise, with more than 80% of the workforce women.

Because we own the production, we can talk directly about formulation rather than relaying questions to a contract manufacturer. If you need something that is not in the standard range, see our bespoke and white label page.

See the larger format extracts in our catering size range, or read how we work in Kerala.

Frequently asked questions

What documentation can you provide? Tell us what your process requires and we will confirm what we hold.

Can we get samples for trials? Yes. Tell us which extracts and what you are developing.

Is the emulsifier declared? Yes. Polysorbate 80, a plant derived emulsifier, appears on every ingredients list.

Can you make something that is not in the range? Often, yes. See our bespoke and white label page.

Are the extracts suitable for vegan products? Yes, the Spice Drops range is vegan.

Talk to us

Please email us at sales@holylama.co.uk if you would like samples or to discuss a project.

Or call us on +44 7352 330999