Madagascar vanilla
Madagascar vanilla
Whole Bourbon vanilla beans (Vanilla planifolia), cured using the traditional Malagasy method: blanching, sweating, sun-drying and conditioning in trunks. We hold no stock: each batch is ordered from producers to meet needs expressed by our clients.
To order only — grouped orders, shipped by air freight
Add to my request
Build your request like a basket: several products, a single quote request.
Three grades: / Black, / Red and .
Price on request
Customs code (): 0905.10
Free quote, no obligation, reply within 48 h
Documents (, technical data sheet): on request
Request the documents
| Botanical name | Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews |
| Designation | Bourbon vanilla |
| Family | Orchidaceae |
| Origin | Madagascar |
| Curing | Blanching, sweating, sun-drying, conditioning in trunks |
| Form | Whole beans, split or unsplit |
| Packaging | Bundles of even length, in waxed paper; vacuum-packed on request |
| Transport | Air freight from Madagascar to Europe and the United Kingdom |
| Sales | To order only |
How to order
Vanilla ordered for you, not taken from stock
We group the needs of several clients to order directly from producers. You receive vanilla cured for the current season, checked batch by batch.
01
You tell us what you need
Grade, length, quantity and target date: you state them in our request form.
02
Requests are grouped
We group requests until the minimum order threshold is reached.
03
Order placed with producers
Once the threshold is reached, we order from our producers. Each batch is checked (moisture content, vanillin content) before shipment.
04
Air freight and delivery
The beans leave Madagascar by air freight, via Antananarivo, and are delivered across Europe and the United Kingdom.
Minimum order
Minimum order on request
Lead time
Indicative lead time given in the quote
Destination
Europe and United Kingdom
The process
From flower to black bean, months of work
Vanilla flowers are pollinated one by one, by hand. The harvested green bean has neither scent nor colour yet: curing is what develops the vanillin and the aroma of Bourbon vanilla.
01
Harvest at maturity
Beans are picked one by one, at maturity, when their tip starts to turn yellow. A bean picked too early gives vanilla poor in aroma.
02
Blanching
The green beans are dipped in hot water for a few minutes. This stops their growth and triggers the reactions that will produce vanillin.
03
Sweating
Still hot, the beans are shut in boxes lined with blankets. They "sweat" there and turn brown.
04
Sun-drying
For several weeks, the beans are spread in the sun a few hours a day, then brought back under cover. They gradually lose their water.
05
Conditioning
The beans then rest for several months in trunks, in waxed paper, where their aromas develop. They are checked regularly to rule out any mould.
06
Sorting and grading
The beans are sorted one by one by length, appearance and moisture content, then tied in bundles of even length.
Grades and sizes
Our three vanilla grades
Gourmet / Black and TK / Red come in three lengths: 14–16 cm, 16–18 cm and 18+ cm. Cuts are pieces of beans.
| Grade | Indicative moisture | Lengths | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| / Black | ≈ 30–38% | 14–16, 16–18, 18+ cm | Pastry, chocolate making, fine cuisine |
| / Red | ≈ 20–30% | 14–16, 16–18, 18+ cm | Extraction, flavourings |
| — | Pieces under 5 cm | Extraction, infusion |
Quality control
What we measure on every batch
Two measurements determine the value of vanilla: its moisture content and its vanillin content. The values measured for each batch appear on the certificate of analysis supplied.
Moisture content
Measured on every batch. It determines the bean's grade, suppleness and shelf life.
Vanillin content
Measured on every batch and expressed on a dry-matter basis. Trade reference: at least 1.6% on dry matter for quality vanilla. The measured value appears on the certificate of analysis.
Appearance and smell
Absence of mould, appearance, smell and length are checked by hand, bean by bean, during sorting.
International reference: ISO 5565-1 (vanilla specification) and ISO 5565-2 (methods for determining vanillin content). Our checks follow the methods of the standard.
Uses
Uses of vanilla
Depending on its grade, vanilla serves fine pastry as well as flavour extraction.
Pastry and fine cuisine
Supple, plump beans ( / Black), scraped for their seeds in creams, desserts and sauces.
Chocolate and ice cream
Infused in ganaches, pralines, ice creams and sorbets, for a natural vanilla flavour.
Extraction, flavourings and infused rums
Drier beans ( / Red) or , for extracts, macerations and infused rums.