Growing

Vanilla orchid cultivation is the most labor-intensive, nuanced, and delicate preparation technique of any plant in the world.

It requires both ample rainfall and ample sun. 600 vanilla blooms produce just 6 kilos of green beans, which in turn produce just 1 kilo of dried black beans. Vanilla is nearly all grown by independent smallholder farmers, who live in small, dispersed villages.

Since most regions outside of Mexico lack the native Melipona bee, vanilla orchids have to be pollinated by hand, which contributes significantly to vanilla’s high cost. In fact, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, surpassed only by saffron.

Our vanilla comes from the Vanilla Planifolia orchid, which is extremely delicate and demands an incredible level of care. The vines typically grow on support trees, often mango or avocado.

The vanilla plant is highly sensitive and only flowers once a year, and only every 2–3 years. Moreover, once it blooms, farmers have just a few hours to pollinate the flower before it self-fertilizes.

It then takes about 9 months for the beans to ripen. They must be harvested within a day, and at this point, the vanilla pods are still green and flavorless.

Once the vanilla pods are harvested (subject to each grower’s instincts and particular knowledge of the maturity profile of their own orchid varieties) then the critical process of drying and curing begins. Slow and controlled drying and curing is a key skill and makes the difference between an average harvest and an exceptional one.