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Q&A: Glen Rock Supplier's Nose Knows Flavors

GLEN ROCK, N.J.– Joe Raimondo's Glen Rock-based company, Artiste, is celebrating 15 years of business. 

Joe Raimondo's Glen Rock-based Artiste is celebrating 15 years in business.

Joe Raimondo's Glen Rock-based Artiste is celebrating 15 years in business.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Artiste supplies ingredients, flavors and fragrances to its domestic and global clientele. 

Raimondo, 67 of Ridgewood, studied architecture at New York Institute of Technology and worked in construction.

"I followed my interests, which led me to become more involved in the manufacture and selling of flavors, fragrances and essential oils," said Raimondo, who switched careers to become a plant engineer.

DAILY VOICE: What type of ingredients do you supply? 

Raimondo: Our focus is with natural product ingredients and we provide a wide range of products for categories such as food, beverages, personal care and health and wellness. These would include mint, citrus, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical ingredients, flavor extracts and natural aroma chemicals.

DV: How do you acquire these ingredients? Where? 

Raimondo: Artiste has contacts across the globe and has established relationships with quality manufacturers who provide the ingredients to satisfy our market demands. These regions include Italy, France, India, China, Central America, Canada and, of course, the U.S."

DV: How do you select these ingredients? 

Raimondo: The selected ingredients are a direct result of market demand. Our portfolio is made up of a wide range of unique as well as standard ingredients and we continue to add products to offer our customers as new market trends develop.

DV: What are some of your responsibilities as Artiste's president?

Raimondo: I am responsible for every aspect of sourcing including assuring my customers and/or working with them to make sure the ingredient they need will work in their applications.

My responsibilities are all encompassing – I am continuously building our capabilities, nurture current customer and supplier relationships and develop new ingredient suppliers to service our customer’s needs. I’m ultimately solely responsible for getting my customers the right and best products at the best price and I am able to source only those ingredients that will be plentiful in supply for the life of the product.

DV: What type of clientele do you have?

Raimondo: Artiste maintains a broad customer base and depending on the project these customers could be a flavor/fragrance house, a consumer brand manufacturer, an end-use retail customer, and often another ingredient supplier who needs a special ingredient Artiste has exclusively.

DV: What is your favorite part of the job? 

Raimondo: My favorite part of my job has always been working with, and meeting new people – especially young people joining the industry with new ideas and well versed in the use of technology. The industry is very different today than it was 40 years ago when I started and it has been, and continues to be, a wonderful learning curve.

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