Only in 1841, a 12-year old slave boy discovered that the plant could be hand pollinated, making the creamy spicy flavour accessible globally. Our vanilla flavour library boasts over 40 variants that include:

Second only to saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world, due to the labour intensive process to produce it. The vanilla flower has to be hand-pollinated within 12 hours of opening before it wilts, otherwise no pod can grow from it. Harvesting of the pods are just as back-breaking an exercise, as each pod grows at its own pace, thus they have to be picked daily.

Harvested pods are then cured, following a 4-step process:

     • Killing
        Subjecting the pod to extreme heat/cold to prevent further growing

     • Sweating
        Wrapping the pods in cotton cloths and storing them in wooden crates. This process gives the         pods their distinguishing colour, aroma and flavour.

     • Slow-drying
        Pods are spread on wooden racks in the sun to dry for 3-4 weeks until the moisture content         has been reduced from 70% to about 30%. The pods are now at their most flavoursome.

     • Conditioning
        In order for the fragrance to develop, the pods are stored in closed boxes. After a few         months the beans are sorted, graded, bundled and wrapped in paraffin paper. This preserves         flavor and aroma.

*Top seller
Please don’t hesitate to contact us in order to assist you with allocating the appropriate vanilla flavour for your product. There are also flavour combinations available eg. Vanilla-raspberry – you are only limited by your imagination!