Diageo acquires flavour matching technology firm Vivanda

Diageo has on Thursday announced the acquisition of Vivanda, owner of the technology behind Diageo’s digital ‘What’s Your Whisky’ platform and the Journey of Flavour experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

The spirit maker said the acquisition will enable it to expand FlavorPrint technology to other categories, besides supporting the continued development of its advanced analytics and digital marketing capabilities.

Powered by artificial intelligence, FlavorPrint technology, through a series of simple questions, analyses and maps consumers’ flavour preferences against a large proprietary sensory database of foods and aromas, to generate a digital representation of their unique ‘Flavor Print’.

It then recommends brands and variants whose flavour profiles consumers are most likely to enjoy. Diageo said the technology breaks down traditional barriers to category exploration, supporting broader consumer engagement through more personalised recommendations and helping to ensure the brands stand out at every point along consumers’ paths to purchase.

“We know consumers are looking for more personalised, interactive experiences and that they are increasingly engaging with our brands digitally as well as in person,” Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo, commented.

“We’re delighted to welcome Vivanda to Diageo and we are looking forward to working together to connect with consumers in more innovative ways that help shape the future of how we socialise in person and virtually.”

Vivanda’s team will join Diageo and its founders, CEO, Oli Fuchs, and CTO, Matt Corish, will provide ongoing consultancy services to continue building on the success of the FlavorPrint technology.

Oli Fuchs said: “We are very excited to join Diageo. Vivanda set out to create innovative technology which connects consumers with products through sensory insight. We are proud of the excellent engagement we have received from consumers and are looking forward to connecting millions more people with their new favourite beverage and creating the digital standard for taste.”

Launched in 2019, ‘What’s Your Whisky’ has been rolled out across 21 markets and is available in 16 languages. It has been integrated into the physical stores and e-commerce platforms of a number of Diageo’s key customers in Europe and North America, as well as across its direct-to-consumer channels such as malts.com to enable purchase recommendations.

The technology also underpins the immersive Journey of Flavour experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh, tailoring the drinks that visitors enjoy during their 90-minute tour to their palates. There are more than 800 flavour combinations available in the innovative dispense systems, meaning a consumer could visit every day for more than two years and not have the same experience twice.