Janet Sawyer explores the flavour of sustainability in new book

Janet Sawyer MBE BEM, the founder of East Devon-based LittlePod, is set to publish her second book Real Vanilla: Nature’s Unsung Hero – The Rather Large Story of LittlePod, a celebration of natural ingredients and sustainable enterprise.

The book, due out on 26 May through Unicorn Publishing, chronicles Janet’s 15-year mission to promote real vanilla through LittlePod’s award-winning products, while supporting farming communities across the Equatorial Belt and regenerating rainforests in Indonesia.

Since launching in 2010, LittlePod has campaigned to raise awareness of vanilla’s environmental importance and worked with chefs, manufacturers and home bakers to encourage the use of real, natural ingredients. The company’s signature innovation – vanilla paste in a tube – has helped make real vanilla more accessible in kitchens around the world.

Alongside its global reach, LittlePod has remained rooted in East Devon and is internationally recognised for its commitment to sustainability. In recent years, the company has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (2018), the King’s Award for Enterprise (2023), and the ‘Made in Devon’ kitemark, certified by Trading Standards.

Dame Prue Leith has described the new book as “riveting,” and Janet will be promoting its release through a series of events this summer, including a launch dinner at the award-winning Darts Farm in Devon and a European launch in Berlin. She is also set to return to Japan with LittlePod later this year, taking her story to Tokyo.

“This book tells the story of how I put my hand up to do my bit,” Janet said. “It’s about why vanilla matters, how it connects us globally, and how sustainability must be at the heart of everything we do.”