Faced with sustained global demand, naturally unstable production and growing climate constraints, the vanilla sector is entering a new stage. The challenge is no longer only to produce, but to better understand a rare and sensitive raw material.

The sustainability of a sector as sensitive as vanilla is built over the long term, from grower to consumer. Four complementary and interdependent pillars structure this approach: economic, social, environmental and governance.

Tracing the history of vanilla means following the journey of a tropical vine, Vanilla planifolia, from the forests of Mesoamerica to the growing regions of the Indian Ocean, and on to today's international markets.

Processing vanilla means turning a living, variable raw material into ingredients that meet the requirements of the food industry. Each form reflects a different level of processing, and a trade-off between aromatic intensity, ease of use, consistency, cost and technical performance.

Before it becomes a flavoring ingredient, vanilla is a rare and fragile plant raw material. Derived from a tropical orchid with a long cycle, it depends on a series of precise operations, from hand pollination to post-harvest curing of the beans.

Analysis Why there is no single vanilla taste Vanilla is one of the most widely consumed spices in the world, and the one that most captures the imagination. While vanillin…

Guide How a green vanilla bean becomes aromatic Harvested while still green, the vanilla bean has almost no aroma. It contains precursors whose expression will depend on maturity at harvest,…

Guide Vanilla or vanillin: what the word really covers Natural vanilla, fermentation-derived vanillin, synthetic vanillin: the same molecule does not cover the same products. The differences lie in regulatory frameworks,…