Real Vanilla: Nature's Unsung Hero

“Who would have thought vanilla could be so riveting?”– Dame Prue Leith“LittlePod is a great example of sustainability in action, spanning local and global scales while working across economic, social and environmental dimensions. Doing this is much easier said than done, which is testimony to the leadership and commitment of Janet Sawyer in making such a success of LittlePod and all the lives changed for the better through it.”– Patrick Devine-Wright, Professor of Geography, Exeter University“Isn’t it fantastic that a small company in a village in East Devon can reach out and impact the world whilst doing social good at home.”– David Fursdon, Lord Lieutenant of Devon“A journey into the flavour of sustainability, this is horticulture with heart.”– Sue Medway MBE, Director, Chelsea Physic Garden“We’ve been using LittlePod vanilla in our cakes since 2011. This exceptional ingredient is our secret weapon, the wind in our flavour sails. It still baffles us how some bakeries are not using real vanilla. They’re not real bakeries in our opinion!”– Oliver Coysh, Exploding Bakery“Ever the treat to step into Janet’s world. I feel nourished and hopeful.”– Aisha Stenning, Business Action Lead, Circular Economy expert“The story of LittlePod has the makings of a feel-good film, in which local, everyday people pool their hopes, dreams and talents together to create a wildly-successful business based on social consciousness and opportunities for local youth in a small-town setting. What could be better, especially with the inclusion of pure vanilla?”– Patricia Rain, the Vanilla Queen

Janet Sawyer MBE BEM is the founder and Managing Director of LittlePod, an award-winning natural ingredients company specialising in real vanilla. Having developed an innovative vanilla paste in a tube, Janet helped to establish LittlePod’s pioneering orchard in Bali, Indonesia. LittlePod won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018 and the King’s Award for Enterprise in 2023, both in the Sustainable Development category. Janet was awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to culture and employment in 2012 and the Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2020 in recognition of LittlePod’s services to international trade, sustainability and exports.