“They Really Care!”
Artisan Manufacturer LittlePod Thanks Adelphi Manufacturing for 10 Years of Successful Production
LittlePod, an Adelphi Manufacturing customer, is the only manufacturer of real vanilla paste in the UK. From their premises in the heart of the East Devon countryside, they proudly fill and distribute their products nationwide and internationally.
Alongside their signature vanilla paste, LittlePod also produces chocolate and coffee extracts, and has co-created ranges of vanilla shortbread and vanilla beer.
A Product with a Mission
At the heart of LittlePod lies a powerful mission: to raise awareness of the global shortage of real vanilla. At the time of the company’s conception in 2010, real vanilla was facing the possibility of extinction within a generation.
Owner Janet Sawyer BME envisioned a business that would support communities dependent on vanilla cultivation, helping to conserve the fragile ecosystems in which real vanilla is grown.
Central to this mission was the development of a product that would educate consumers about the diverse applications of real vanilla - and its advantages over synthetic Vanillin, which accounts for 97% of Vanillin used in the West. A mere 1% incursion into the Vanillin market would double global demand for real vanilla.
From Artisan Beginnings to Global Reach
LittlePod has grown dramatically from its origins as a one-woman operation, when Janet first had the idea - at her kitchen table - of putting vanilla paste into a tube.
Today, the company employs eight staff members at its Devon site, all united by a passion for the products and the mission behind them.
LittlePod products are stocked across the UK and internationally, including Hong Kong, Nepal, Qatar, and Australia, with distribution now spanning 16 countries. In 2018, LittlePod was honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.
How It Was All Made Possible
In 2012, as Janet began exploring automation for the first time, she contacted the Manufacturing Advice Service, which introduced her to the Food Innovation Service. They, in turn, recommended Adelphi Manufacturing as a highly regarded UK supplier of process and packaging machinery.
Adelphi Manufacturing’s Sales Director was immediately captivated by the LittlePod story.
“Adelphi’s honest advice and support was invaluable,” Janet explains. “They monitored our company growth and recommended machines accordingly, making sure we didn’t overstretch our resources.”
That same year, Adelphi manufactured a Response Benchtop Filler to suit LittlePod’s needs. The semi-automatic volumetric filler efficiently handles a wide range of viscosities, including LittlePod’s extracts and pastes.
Quick to assemble and clean, the Response minimises production downtime and allows LittlePod to switch easily between filling 100 ml aluminium tubes of paste and 100 ml glass bottles of extracts, as required.
Shared Values Are the Key to Success
“Adelphi Manufacturing’s values match LittlePod’s perfectly,” says Janet. “They really care.”
Adelphi’s environmentally friendly premises - winner of the PPMA 2018 Environmental Initiative of the Year Award - reflect the shared commitment to sustainability and environmental protection that sits at the core of LittlePod’s ethos.
Thanks to LittlePod’s work, real vanilla will now be available for future generations.
“LittlePod may only be a small part of this,” Janet says modestly, “but we are contributing by achieving our aims and raising awareness. It’s been an incredible journey - from an idea in my head to a Queen’s Award - and Adelphi Manufacturing helped this vision become a reality.”
Janet is keen to stress the importance of LittlePod’s organic growth, supported by Adelphi, which has allowed automation to be introduced without compromising the values at the heart of the business.
A New Phase of Growth
In March 2017, a hurricane struck Madagascar, destroying 80% of LittlePod’s five-year vanilla crop. Forced to double prices overnight, LittlePod faced a sink-or-swim moment.
Remarkably, having built such strong emotional connections with customers, they did not lose a single one.
Choosing to move forward, Janet invested again. By 2018, production demand had increased further than ever. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, confidence inspired by the Queen’s Award helped attract interest from other businesses keen to associate with LittlePod.
HSBC offered funding for the next investment: a TGM E250Matic tube filler and sealer, recommended by Dean.
“They could see that we’ve consistently gone in the right direction - slowly and surely,” Janet explains. “They saw our steady year-on-year increase in orders and knew we were going places.”
Investment Delivered Through Partnership
Adelphi Manufacturing has been the sole UK agent for TGM machinery since 1995, and the LittlePod project - from purchase through to installation - was fully project-managed by Adelphi.
Towards the end of 2019, LittlePod CEO Olly, along with colleagues David and Caroline, travelled to Bergamo, Italy, to visit TGM’s manufacturing facility. There, they completed machine training and officially signed off the purchase during a Factory Acceptance Test, alongside Adelphi’s Sales Director.
In January 2020, back in Devon, builders opened a wall in LittlePod’s premises to accommodate the machine on delivery day. The TGM E250Matic now stands proudly on a newly reinforced floor made with recycled concrete.
“Delivery and installation didn’t go 100% smoothly,” Janet laughs, “but the important thing is that everyone left happy.”
Looking Ahead with Confidence
Confidence in LittlePod’s products and future is now at an all-time high.
“People are coming to us with substantial orders that we never would have considered before,” says Olly.
2020 marked LittlePod’s 10-year anniversary, and Adelphi Manufacturing is proud to have supported the business throughout its extraordinary journey - from a kitchen-table idea to a globally recognised, award-winning brand.
