+261 38 23 537 14 
contact@finest-vanilla.com
ITAOSY Antananarivo-102 Madagascar
+261 38 23 537 14 contact@finest-vanilla.com
ITAOSY Antananarivo-102 Madagascar
Bourbon vanilla, a precious agricultural resource, requires meticulous care from pollination to curing. Its process, marked by delicate steps, results in exceptional quality pods, highly valued in various sectors.
Firstly, it should be noted that the label “Bourbon vanilla or Vanilla planifolia” has only existed since 1964. It encompasses all production from the southwest of the Indian Ocean: Réunion, Comoros, Seychelles, and especially Madagascar.
For a vanilla plant, the male and female organs of the flowers are veiled by membranes. In Mexico, pollination is carried out by a Melipona, a small bee. And it is due to this natural constraint that artificial fertilization emerged in 1841 by Edmond Albius on the island of Réunion. Artificial pollination generally takes place between mid-September and mid-December throughout the flowering period, but this depends on the zones and their climates. The operation must be done in the early hours of flower opening, in the morning, from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
After 7 to 9 months, the green pods start to turn yellow, while others may even split open gradually. Therefore, the harvest begins, with green vanillas being delicately hand-picked depending on the maturity of the pod. The harvest time falls between May and August, depending on the regions and their climates.
The harvested pods should not exceed 48 hours before scalding. This operation, which involves immersing them in hot water at 65°C for about 3 minutes, stops the vegetative life of the pod and gradually transforms its color to brown.
After scalding, the pods go directly into large wooden boxes lined with covering material, which slows down the cooling of the pods. This process takes about 12 hours. Afterwards, the green pods will completely transform into brown pods.
The climate is crucial for Bourbon vanillas, requiring strong sun drying for 3 to 5 hours a day for a week to initiate the development of their aroma.
This operation greatly contributes to the stability of the pods. They are placed on racks in the shade for about a month. This process is followed by regular sorting to classify the vanillas according to their moisture content.
After drying on racks, the real sorting of the vanillas begins, based on their moisture, length, color, whether split or not, defective vanillas or not. Then comes the “per head” classification and bundling of the vanillas, between 150 and 200g per bundle depending on their length. Once bundled, the vanillas are sorted into medium-sized boxes according to their quality for further curing; it is worth noting that bundling of the pods can also be done after curing.
After all this work, vanilla needs to be cured in wooden boxes lined with paraffin paper, then covered with blankets to maintain a good temperature for months, between 3 and 9 months to develop its aroma and ensure the stability of the pods. Regular checks must be carried out to see if there are any moldy pods and remove them.
After going through all these stages and meticulous work, Authentic&Natural Products vanilla is packaged in vanilla cardboard boxes lined with paraffin paper, which are generally covered with polypropylene bags. It is also possible to vacuum-seal the vanilla pods, depending on the clients’ demand (with the official approval of the Ministry of Commerce of Madagascar).
The packaged vanillas ready for export are generally destined for :
in high-end hotels, pastry shops, or in the dishes of individuals for black vanilla pods
and in industrial extraction for dry vanillas such as red or classified “cuts” vanillas.