We’re not usually ones to boast, but we’re pretty proud of our vanilla syrup. We would even say it’s the world’s BEST vanilla syrup. No, seriously – it’s that good. We worked really hard to create our signature vanilla syrup, and customers tell us every day how much they love it in their lattes. A core tenet for us is always that "everything we do has to be as good as the coffee", and the simple syrups we make in-house are no different.
But while customers raved about our incredible vanilla, the request for a sugar-free vanilla syrup started to become more and more frequent. But we were really skeptical about the sugar-free stuff. We always associated sugar-free products with lots of chemicals and fake ingredients with big scary names. Acesulfame Potassium? Cyclamate? Scary. Names.
We were missing a key piece of the puzzle, though — there are actually amazing options for sugar-free products that don’t rely on artificial chemicals. Sweeteners that are naturally derived, actually taste good, and totally align with our guiding philosophy of “real good coffee.” That was an ah-ha moment for us. What we thought was scary suddenly seemed within our reach. We realized we could have it all — sugar-free vanilla syrup could be good, both in flavor and composition. The same world’s best vanilla that our customers love, now available in a sugar-free vanilla option that everyone could feel good about.
We had the knowledge that it was possible, but in came the hard part: actually making it.
From 7th Street to the Roastery: Our Syrup-Making Journey
We were no strangers to the chemistry of Simple Syrups. Throwback to 2014 – we had just opened our first café on 7th Street and had the idea to start making our own flavored syrups, which would eventually be branded as our line of Simple Syrups. We tested and reverse-engineered several syrups until we finally found what worked for us. Mix, taste, repeat. Mix, taste, repeat. When we opened our Chinatown café, we started making all of our syrups there in the kitchen, which we called the Saucery (we called our syrups sauces at the time).
The first Chinatown Saucery had two induction burners (fancy word for pot-heater) and we hired a full-time “saucer-er” to keep pace with demand. Fast forward to today, and we have a much larger Saucery located in our Roastery (no longer in a tiny kitchen!) So last year, when we started the process of crafting the perfect sugar-free vanilla syrup recipe, we knew exactly where to begin.
Finding the Key Ingredient
First things first: test every sweetener that exists. We literally tested hundreds of iterations, eventually landing on monk fruit as a key ingredient. Monk fruit is a popular alternative sweetener that is naturally derived, rather than synthesized. It’s extracted from the monk fruit plant, native to Southeast Asia, and is 50–200 times sweeter than sugar while containing zero calories and having a low glycemic index.
After several rounds of adjusting monk fruit to vanilla ratios, testing both granulated and liquid monk fruit sweeteners, and tasting the syrups in action with our lattes, we eventually found the perfect mix. What we settled on was a flavor that brings out the best of our all-natural vanilla syrup without overpowering the amazing vanilla bean.
Legendary Customer Service: Our Go-To is Yes
As mentioned earlier, our guiding philosophy will always be to make everything as good as the coffee, no matter how you drink it. We talk a lot about how you don’t need to be a coffee connoisseur to enjoy Compass. Peppermint mocha latte? You got it. Single-origin pour-over? Also got it. We strive to give our customers whatever their coffee preference is as part of our commitment to Legendary Customer Service, and a zero-sugar option is another way we worked to do that.
So, what is Legendary Customer Service? It's the kind of service that goes beyond expectations, leaving a lasting impression that customers talk about, remember, and return for. At Compass, every team member — whether in roasting, sales, or design — starts as a barista. This ensures that delivering exceptional service becomes second nature, something we live and breathe every day. We always say that "our go-to is yes." We serve millions of cups of coffee every year, and every day we encounter new and unique requests from our customers. We are all trained from day one on the idea that every single interaction with a customer is an opportunity to provide LCS (Legendary Customer Service) and make their day better. In cafes, this can be as simple as greeting someone with a heartfelt good morning when they come through the door or building lifelong relationships with our regulars. There is no question that this idea of "our go-to is yes" informs everything we do at Compass on every level, and creating sugar-free vanilla syrup is no different!
One particularly moving reason for creating a sugar-free vanilla option was one of our regulars, who adopted a zero-sugar diet for medical reasons and could no longer have her favorite vanilla cream cold brews. When we dug a little deeper, we realized there were other regulars on a similar journey. Developing sugar-free vanilla syrup meant putting aside a lot of misconceptions, listening, and empathizing with our customers to solve real problems for them.
Creating our sugar free vanilla syrup was a labor of love, driven by our customers and their needs. We tested, adjusted, and perfected it so that it would meet the same high standards as our coffee. By using naturally derived ingredients like monk fruit, we’ve crafted a syrup that’s as good for you as it is delicious. Whether you’re a latte lover looking to cut sugar or just someone who appreciates a great-tasting option, our sugar free vanilla is proof that you don’t have to compromise on flavor to enjoy a healthier choice.
Here’s to making coffee moments even sweeter — with or without sugar.
