Adding Spice to Food, and Beer, for Three Generations BY KATIE WHALEN, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, KALSEC
From the 3700-block of West Main Street, one can see a pristine, white 3-rail horse fence, hear occasional barks of dogs, and smell a hint of rosemary or white pepper on the wind. Very few Kalamazoo natives could tell you what was happening at this 150-acre site, until a 1-ton boulder engraved with the company name and address was installed at the entrance in 2018. The sights are remnants from a former quarter-horse farm; the sounds come from the employees’ doggy daycare, and the smells come from the spices and herbs being extracted by Kalsec, Inc. Kalsec crafts natural spice and herb flavor extracts, colors, antioxidants, and advanced hop products for the food and beverage industry. Kalsec products are translated into easyto-use liquids ideal for most formulations: salsa, dressings, sauces, yogurts, candies, snacks, baked goods, beer, and meat. These extracts are of the highest quality and consistency available. Kalsec is the only company whose expertise and resources encompass a full line of natural, innovative products and solutions to meet the challenges faced by food and beverage manufacturers throughout the industry and around the world. The company was founded in 1958 by Paul H. Todd Jr. as the Kalamazoo Spice Extraction Company. Todd was a respected businessman and former Congressman.
12
MICHBIO | michbio.org
He represented the Third Congressional District, which included Kalamazoo County, in the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 1960s. Todd family roots in the area go back even further to the late 1800s, when Albert May Todd started the peppermint and spearmint oil business in Southwest Michigan. Today, third generation Todd family members lead Kalsec in its mission to be private and sustainable for 100 years. Over the past 60 years, Kalsec has grown into a global company - selling its products in more than 70 countries directly and through channel partners. In 1995, Kalsec opened an office in the United Kingdom, where it provides local support to the European market with sales, sampling, applications and warehousing capabilities. Located in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, this facility continues to grow to meet the needs of the European market. Then in February 2010, Kalsec opened an office in Shanghai, China to serve its customers in the Asian market similarly. Kalsec Southwest, located near Denver City, Texas, specializes in the cultivation, harvest, dehydration and extraction of paprika, rosemary and carrot, as well as specialty herbs and spices. At this location extracts are expeller pressed into a line of solvent-free products that are ideal for the growing “clean label” initiative.
