Where can I get Fiori di Sicilia (citrus/vanilla flavouring) in Canada/the GTA?

[RenegadeX]

I recently came across a couple of interesting baking recipes that used the Italian ingredient "Fiori di Sicilia", described on at least 1 website as "an all-natural combination of citrus and vanilla with a pleasingly floral aroma".

I'd never heard of it before, but having been to Italy and eaten at many Italian bakeries both in Europe and over here, I believe I have eaten baked goods (such as pannetone) before that contained it - it's one of those "MMmmmm!.. not sure what that flavouring is, but I like it!" things. And all reviews agree, it's good stuff. However, it's also *expensive* stuff.

Flour company 'King Arthur' sells the stuff for $7.95US for 1oz on their site: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/fiori-di-sicilia-1-oz -- they say they ship to Canada but to "Call for shipping costs". Looking at their US postage prices, I'd figure it'd be about another $10, which makes it not worth it. So I'm wondering if anyone knows of any bakeries, baking supply stores or Italian food stores that might sell it in the GTA, or elsewhere in Canada.

Here's the page from King Arthur's Flour:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l218/I_am_RenegadeX/FioriDiSicilia.jpg

[RenegadeX]

Nobody knows?? :cry:

I used the King Arthur Flour's online C/S chat to ask how much shipping on the 1oz bottle of FdS is to Canada.

Their reply: "As we currently have 'free shipping' for our US customers, good news - all you'd have to pay is the $15 'Air-Canada' surcharge."
Note: regular shipping rate within the USA is $6.50US

Say WHAT? That's insane! $15US (or $21.50US) to ship something that only weighs 2 or 3oz (including bottle) and only cost $8? Totally NOT worth it, so I said so, and asked if instead they could just send via USPS "First class mail international - Small Packets", which would put the postage cost at about $1.75 according to USPS site (based on 3oz shipping weight).

them: "Sorry we do not ship via that service at this time"
me: You should look into it".

Also asked if they had any Cdn distributors of their products - "no" was the answer.

If I can't find it locally, I think I can probably source it directly from Italy cheaper than King Arthur's total price!

[EchoAngel911]

i asked around and couldn't find any ...

[RenegadeX]

^ Thanks.
I found out where King Arthur gets theirs from, but they only sell in bulk quantities (17oz/500ml), and would also likely charge an arm & a leg to get it into Canada.

The hunt for a Cdn source continues..

[RenegadeX]

Hey, in case anyone else is ever looking for the stuff and comes across this thread, I finally have an answer!

Thanks to the help of someone on foodie site 'Chowhound', I now know that a store called Golda's Kitchen [link (http://www.goldaskitchen.com/merchant.ihtml?id=115&pid=3530&step=4)] has recently added it to their inventory. They're selling 4oz bottles for $30.25CDN.

Screencap:
http://easycaptures.com/fs/uploaded/449/2108200324.jpg

That's more than a home baker will likely ever need, but hey, it's 4x the volume for essentially the same end-price as KingArthur. I think I'll buy some, rebottle it into 2 or 3 smaller volumes and gift what I don't need.

Golda's has a retail store in Mississauga, ON and ships across Canada, and internationally, at very reasonable rates.

[Wellmore]

I wanted to purchase this product also from King Arthur (the 4oz. size) along with another bottle of something else that weighed .25 oz.(and that came with free shipping)
The company wanted to charge me $8 US to ship within US, two states away. I looked into finding it elsewhere and found the same sources you did.
KA was very arrogant and suggested I "pal up" with a friend to order.

$8 for a $20 product is usury in my book. They say they now charge postage by dollar amount rather than by weight (to accommodate all those folks buying flour)
Unfortunately, they have a monopoly on the product, if you do not want to buy in bulk.