How we make our Bourbon Vanilla your Bourbon Vanilla

Vanilla cultivation is an art that has been passed from generation to generation. Interestingly, vanilla grows mostly in the wild and is controlled by small farmers (some have only a few sq meters to harvest) and it is only in recent years that some vanilla is grown on plantations.

To get a flavourful vanilla product, a labour-intensive process is followed. Every vanilla flower (orchid) has to be pollinated by hand due to the fact that the insect that used to do this job no longer exists. After 24 hours of pollination, the fruit begins to ripen and it takes several weeks for the pods to attain a length between 10-20cm.

At the right time, usually in July, Vanilla is harvested as a tasteless green fruit. During the harvest time, the green beans are dipped in hot water to activate the fermentation process. Then they are packed in bulk into isolated containers, where they are left to ferment. It is during this process that the pods turn to a familiar dark-brown colour and their unique aroma begins to develop. Subsequently, the vanilla pods (beans) are dried slowly and laboriously between sun, shade and a storeroom in the evenings. If it rains, the beans have to be packed into the storerooms immediately. After a few weeks, the vanilla can then be dried in shade only until it reaches the correct moisture content and flavour. Once ready, it is sorted by length, bundled and packed neatly into metal containers for shipment.

We export larger volumes of vanilla pods directly from Madagascar and process some of our harvest (select pods, vanilla pieces for blending and finely ground powder) in Cape Town.