3. Bull City Flavors

Bull City Flavors absolutely destroyed it in 2017. This little company out of Durham, North Carolina grew to be one of the DIY Mixing community’s favorite place to pick up their flavorings. With quick and efficient shipping, little to no errors in shipment, and great competitive prices, BCF was a force to be reckoned with. But in my opinion, what separated BCF from the others like ECX, NicRiver, and WizardLabs, was how the company embedded itself within the mixing community. They did so by getting with tons of mixers to release “Flavor Packs” a new way of selling flavors that crosses between one-shot and a bundle. These “Flavor Packs” included all the necessary ingredients to mix up some of the communities best recipes, kicking back a portion of the sales to the original creator, and also selling the flavorings at a discounted rate. This was HUGE in giving motivation to new and old mixers alike, looking to make a bit of cash from their work. While I would love to see them actually put together one-shots like ECX and Chefs, it’s still a great step in the right direction and cements their place on the list.

2. Flavorah

Flavorah makes it into the second place spot by becoming this years most talked about, most reviewed, and most impressionable flavoring company in 2017. Flavorah, who started out with an impressive, yet obscure, initial flavor line up, quickly grew to a massive list of 182 flavors. Though more importantly, releasing flavorings that were a bit more “traditional” while still raising the bar with what flavors can do and innovating in ways we have not seen yet. Seriously, there are mixers who actively use FLV Brie Cheese in a non-ironic and impressive way. And that’s not too mention how every week or so it feels like someone is talking about the latest Flavorah flavoring drop. Something that keeps the community on their toes with excitement. A much needed sentiment in this somewhat struggling industry. But the reason they take second place on this list is how exactly they grew to become this powerhouse. And that is by forcing their way into mixers’ hands. Flavorah gave out ENTIRE lines to any mixer who was consistently putting out work. They had the confidence in knowing that if they just got their products into a good mixer’s hands, they would eventually make their way into their recipes and thus drumming up sales. And it worked. High risk, high reward. One of the greatest moments in DIY for me in 2017 was seeing Flavorah explode in use and in respect.

1. Chefs Flavours

To me, there’s no doubt in my mind that Chef’s Flavors was the best company in 2017 for the DIY Mixing industry. All for one simple reason. Engagement. Chef’s is easily the most engaging company in the scene. Because of their high engagement with the mixing community, they are easily one of the most respected in the scene. Not too mention excellent customer service, holding almost every flavor house under the sun, and quick, efficient shipping all over the world only helps keep their position at the top. But the reason they take the number one spot is because of their impact on both the DIY community and the DIY industry. Their One-Shot deals with mixers have completely changed the game with how ALL DIY companies now look at the mixing community and how the DIY community looks at this companies. By teaming up with so many well respected and highly favorable mixers while creating fair prices and profit-splits, Chef’s have given mixers across the world a good reason to step their game up when it comes to recipe development. But more importantly, showing other DIY companies how profitable it can be by utilizing their best assets to their advantage. That asset being their customers. The way Chef’s is able to empower their customers with their fun, tightly-knit, and engaging community, rather than see them as just a sales figure and dismiss them, ALL WHILE providing one of the best shopping experiences for mixers, is the reason they are, in my eyes, the best and most impactful company this year.