Virginia Dare's new headquarters are a celebration of the brand's vision, which began just over 100 years ago. A quick 20-minute drive from its original location in Brooklyn, New York, the company's new home in Carteret, New Jersey, features state-of-the-art labs, a dedicated sensory space, tasting rooms for new product development, and an overall welcoming environment for employees and clients alike to visit and feel inspired.

Chris Smith, Virginia Dare VP of Vanilla Products, shared his views on the role the company hopes its new facility will play for the brands clients: "Our facility will help jumpstart the creative process for our clients; it’s a very collaborative environment. Clients no longer have to come in with preset ideas, they can fly in and before they even know what they want, they can sit with us and discuss their goals. We can put it together and bring it to them to taste, and if changes need to be made they can be done on the spot. The client can spend a full day, walk in with an idea or barely an idea and walk out with a finished product."

Virginia Dare flavorist can see a log of as many as 124 active projects at any given time

With a quick tour of the space, the company's vision for the new location becomes clear. The layout of the first floor is set up to create a linear flow between departments. The high odor room is close to the quality control room that is steps away from the designated chemists' workspace, which is an open area concept that still allows for each chemist to create the work environment that best suits them. As each room seamlessly leads to the next, team members can work closely across departments, which might also include the company's finance and/or customer service department located on the second floor of the facility. 

Even though Carteret was chosen for its accessibility advantages—proximity to Newark airport and access points for shipments—the added commute time/distance on company employees was not lost on them. To address the challenge, the company enacted a transportation subsidy to offset any added costs, and was thus able to retain 90% of its original workforce after the move.

Along with all the excitement surrounding its new home base, Virginia Dare remains focused on providing its clients with exceptional service and products while ushering in the next era of flavor creation.