The Queen brand was inspired by Queen Victoria’s love for Vanilla, and today is synonymous with the very best Vanilla in the world. As it was at the time, renowned pharmacist Mr Edward Taylor of Queen Street, Brisbane also provided a range of extracts, tonics, fragrances and lotions incorporating vanilla that he made himself. His customers relied on his store for these items until the next ship from London arrived.
Seeing the need to provide his customers with even more, Mr Taylor partnered with Mr Colledge to form the Queen brand. From day one they began to win awards for their food colourings and Vanilla.
The Queen Vanilla range expanded in the early 1920s, sold in hand made glass bottles. By 1960 the range had expanded again to include even more colours, extracts and essences. By 1972 this foundation saw Queen become the preferred brand for baking in Australia and its signature Vanilla extract recipe will be loved by generations of bakers to come.
Queen built its own custom manufacturing facility in Alderley, Brisbane to meet the growing needs of Australian bakers. Staying in the neighbourhood, Queen then moved around the corner to its Wakefield street address which has become the home of Queen Vanilla for many decades to come.
Now the market leading Vanilla brand, Queen’s strong ties with Vanilla growers means it sees first hand the impact of natural weather events on the lives of the farmers that grow it. In the wake of a cyclone devastating Madagascan Vanilla farms, Queen assists farmers through education, training and funding in Papua New Guinea and other vanilla producing countries to ensure the Vanilla industry remains sustainable for generations to come. In 2012 Queen was a proud partner of the sole Fairtrade accredited vanilla producing organisation in the Comoros Islands and launched its Fairtrade Vanilla Extract with Seeds to celebrate this.
With access to the world’s finest Vanilla beans, Queen enters an era of innovation to make Vanilla pods easier to use at home, resulting in the launch of Queen Vanilla Bean paste in Australia. The first of its kind on Australian supermarket shelves, it is an immediate hit with chefs and foodies. In London it goes on to win the Most Innovative Food Ingredient award at the 2005 International Food & Drink Event, the first of many awards to follow.
Queen continues its innovation path in the mid 2000’s launching Queen Quality Decorations. Featuring convenient, professional quality cake decorations, it isn’t too long before Queen Writing Icings and Sugar Flowers are pantry essentials for home bakers and families. This range further grows into Soft Sugar Pearls, Sprinkles and Dusting Sugars and later into Royal Icing, Buttercream Icing and Fondants.
Now with a premium range of ingredients for inside and outside the cake, Queen expands internationally to inspire a new generation of New Zealand customers to bake and create. By 2011, Queen expands to Asia and its Vanilla, Essences and Quality Decorations range become available in Malaysian supermarkets.
Continuing its commitment to sustainable Vanilla and supporting Vanilla growers, Queen pioneers the production of certified organic Vanilla and integrates it into its flagship Red Label Vanilla Extract. In turn, customers come to trust the Queen name for quality, purity, environmental responsibility and sustainability.
With expert knowledge in vanilla farming, curing and quality, Queen begins assisting Vanilla growers in Vava’u, Tonga to reestablish their once-thriving Vanilla industry. What begins as an initial program to assist 50 Vanilla growers rapidly expands to a program assisting more than 300 Vanilla farmers and their families. Through support including funding, equipment and knowledge about the latest sustainable farming practices, Queen assists the Tongan Vanilla industry in becoming sustainable for the future and brings commercial quantities of premium quality Vava’u Vanilla back to the market.
The Queen story enters a new chapter with the launch of the Queen Finest Vanilla brand. Inspired by the success of its Vava’u Vanilla program, the range introduces single origin, gourmet Vanilla Extracts to the world. These extracts, from leading Vanilla producing regions including Vava’u and Madagascar celebrate the unique aromatic and flavour profiles of beans from these regions, allowing customers to create unique Vanilla flavours in their baking and desserts.
Queen celebrates its 120th anniversary in 2017 with the release of a limited edition pure vanilla extract. Inspired by the original Queen Vanilla in the little red bottle, this incredibly special vanilla has been created by Queen master blenders with the very best vanilla beans in the world. Heady and fragrant, this vanilla extract combines the spice and floral notes of Tahitian vanilla, together with wood and chocolate from prized Madagascan vanilla beans. This vanilla gives recipes deep, strong flavour and is worthy of the very best baking.
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