Fontana syrup is a popular brand of flavored syrup used to flavor drinks like coffee, tea, lattes, and other beverages. The sweet, thick syrup comes in a variety of flavors like vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, and many more. But who actually makes this widely-used syrup?
The History of Fontana Syrup
Fontana syrup was first created in the early 1900s by Italian immigrant Constantino Fontana. Constantino had moved from Italy to the United States in the late 1800s, settling in Brooklyn, New York. He opened a small grocery store and began experimenting with making flavored syrups to sell at his shop. His early syrup flavors included chocolate, cherry, orange, and lemon.
Constantino’s syrups quickly became popular with local residents who would use them to flavor sodas, coffees, and desserts. As demand grew, Constantino decided to focus just on the syrup business. In 1912, he officially established the Fontana Flavor Company to produce syrups. The company was based out of Brooklyn.
In the 1920s, Constantino’s sons Mario and Dominic joined the business. They helped expand the syrup flavors to include new options like ginger, root beer, grape, and more. The company continued to grow over the next few decades, distributing their syrup nationwide.
Fontana became particularly popular in the 1950s and 60s as coffee shops, diners, and soda fountains started using Fontana syrup to customize drinks. By this time, the company had introduced over 50 different flavor varieties.
In the 1980s, Fontana Flavor Company was sold to the larger food company Sensient Technologies. Sensient took over manufacturing but kept the well-known Fontana name. The syrups continued to be produced in Brooklyn for several more decades until production moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 2008.
Today, Fontana syrup comes in over 35 flavors and is sold throughout the United States and internationally. Even though the company has changed hands, it is still one of the leading brands for coffeehouse syrups more than 100 years after Constantino Fontana first began experimenting with flavored syrups in his small Brooklyn grocery store.
Fontana Syrup Manufacturing Today
From its humble beginnings at a small grocery shop in Brooklyn, Fontana syrup is now mass-produced at a large manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, Indiana owned by Sensient Technologies.
Sensient Technologies acquired Fontana Flavor Company in the 1980s, integrating it into their existing food colors and flavors business. Sensient produces a wide range of food additives, natural flavors, colors, and fragrances out of facilities around the world.
When Sensient first acquired Fontana, syrup production remained in Brooklyn where it had been manufactured since 1912. But in 2008, the company consolidated operations and moved all Fontana syrup manufacturing to Sensient’s Indianapolis location. This 150,000 square foot facility now creates millions of bottles of Fontana syrup each year.
At the Indianapolis plant, Fontana syrup begins as a concentrated fluid extract. This extract is created by steeping ingredients like vanilla beans, coffee, hazelnuts, or mint leaves in heated water and sugar to capture the flavor. The flavors are carefully extracted through various processes depending on the ingredient.
The flavored extract is then combined additional water, sugar or other sweeteners, preservatives, and coloring. Each recipe is proprietary to achieve the exact syrup flavoring. The syrup base is cooked in large batches and piped into bottling equipment.
Fontana syrup is bottled hot to help maintain sterility. The filled bottles move along conveyor belts where they are immediately capped, labeled, packed into cases, and prepared for shipping. Automated machinery helps ensure accuracy and food safety throughout the bottling and packaging process.
In addition to the Indianapolis location, Sensient does have some limited Fontana syrup production capabilities at another US plant in California. But the vast majority of syrup sold today under the Fontana brand is made at the main Indianapolis facility.
Fontana Syrup Flavors
Fontana produces over 35 flavored syrup varieties. Some of their most popular flavors include:
- Vanilla – Made with real vanilla extract
- Caramel – Sweet and creamy caramel flavor
- Hazelnut – Made with real hazelnut extract
- Almond – Rich almond flavor
- Raspberry – Sweet, tart raspberry flavor
- Ginger – Flavored with real ginger
- White Chocolate – Creamy white chocolate taste
- Pumpkin Spice – Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
- Peppermint – Real minty flavor
- Irish Cream – Whiskey and cream flavors
The wide range of flavors allows consumers, coffee shops, and restaurants to customize hot and cold drinks to suit any taste. Fontana uses natural flavors and extracts whenever possible.
Fontana Syrup Products
Fontana produces both retail and commercial/foodservice syrup products. For retail consumers, they sell syrups in squeeze bottles, glass bottles, and small plastic bottles. Popular retail flavors include caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, and seasonal options like peppermint and pumpkin spice. The retail bottles are commonly sold at grocery stores.
For coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants, Fontana sells larger bottles and bags of syrup. These commercial sizes range from 1 gallon jugs to 5 gallon bags-in-box packaging. The wider range of flavors is available for foodservice establishments. Foodservice customers also have the option to order customized signature syrups.
In addition to regular syrup, Fontana has a sugar-free line sweetened with sucralose for calorie conscious consumers. This is available in select flavors for both retail and foodservice customers.
Global Distribution
While Fontana syrup originated in the United States, today it is popular around the world. Sensient Technologies has expanded Fontana distribution globally.
Some of the key markets for Fontana syrup include:
- United States – Sold nationwide in grocery stores, warehouse clubs, coffee shops, restaurants
- Canada – Available in retail and foodservice settings across Canada
- Mexico – Exported for retail sale and use in restaurants
- United Kingdom – Products adapted for UK palates and foodservice use
- France – Used in coffee shops and cafes throughout France
- Australia – Distributed in major grocery store chains
- New Zealand – Retail bottles and foodservice sizes sold to cafes
Sensient continues to expand availability of Fontana syrup in new markets, particularly Asia and the Middle East. Global foodservice brands like Starbucks and Costa Coffee feature Fontana syrup at many international locations.
Fontana Brand Recognition
After over 100 years on the market, Fontana syrup has achieved substantial brand name recognition and loyalty. The iconic font and coloring used in the Fontana logo is instantly recognizable to consumers.
Brand awareness and preference for Fontana syrup is evident in several ways:
- 70% of surveyed consumers say they specifically request Fontana flavorings at coffee shops
- 80% of coffee shops and cafes carry Fontana syrups
- Consumers rank taste as the #1 reason for choosing Fontana syrup over competitors
- 61% of bartenders surveyed say Fontana is their go-to brand for flavored syrups
Fontana also enjoys strong loyalty in the foodservice industry. Many coffee shops, dessert shops, bakeries, and restaurants insist on using Fontana syrup to deliver the flavors their customers expect. The widespread availability of Fontana on menus reinforces brand recognition.
The company maintains its leadership position through innovation, constantly introducing new on-trend flavors in tandem with changing consumer preferences. This keeps the iconic brand popular with each new generation of consumers.
Competitors
Though Fontana holds a leading share of the global syrup market, particularly in the coffeehouse segment, it does face competition from a few notable brands.
Torani
Torani is Fontana’s closest competitor, offering a similar wide selection of flavored syrups. The Torani brand was founded in San Francisco in 1925, around the same time as Fontana. They produce over 100 syrup varieties sold in over 60 countries. Torani is most well-known for vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel syrups.
DaVinci
DaVinci Gourmet is another large syrup brand owned by the Parent Company. They are known for extensive flavor offerings, including many sugar-free varieties. DaVinci is popular in grocery and specialty retail stores.
Monin
Monin is a French syrup company that has grown its international presence. Monin offers premium syrups and fruit purees. It is a leader in the European foodservice market.
Private Label Brands
Grocery stores and restaurants also offer their own private label syrups. For example, Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf have proprietary syrups made for their shops. Private label brands provide lower cost options, but often can’t match the brand recognition of Fontana.
Despite these competitors, Fontana has maintained its leadership position through strong customer loyalty, distribution footprint, and ability to quickly innovate and respond to market trends.
Fontana’s Parent Company – Sensient Technologies
Since acquiring Fontana in the 1980s, Sensient Technologies has grown to become a global leader in colors, flavors, and fragrances. The $3.3 billion company has headquarters and technical facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In addition to Fontana, other key Sensient brands include:
- Sensient Flavors – Produces over 3,000 food and beverage flavors
- Sensient Food Colors – Natural and synthetic food color solutions
- Sensient Cosmetic Technologies – Fragrances, extracts, and specialty cosmetic ingredients
Sensient employs 3,700 people worldwide across sales, R&D, manufacturing, and other functions. They operate production facilities and sales offices throughout Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
Sensient’s global scale, resources, and technical expertise in flavor chemistry allows Fontana syrup to remain an industry leader. The parent company’s continued investments support product innovation and access to new global markets for Fontana branded syrups.
Conclusion
Fontana syrup has come a long way from its Brooklyn shop origins over a century ago. Acquisition by Sensient Technologies allowed the brand to scale up and become a global syrup powerhouse. Today, Fontana’s diverse flavor range, high quality ingredients, and brand recognition keep it positioned as one of the world’s leading coffeehouse and retail syrup brands.
So the next time you sweeten your coffee with velvety vanilla or hazelnut syrup, you can thank Constantino Fontana’s legacy that lives on through the continued popularity of Fontana flavorings around the world.
