You’ve likely pulled out the ubiquitous brown bottle countless times already this season, but have you ever stopped to think about where the vanilla in that extract comes from? Here we will dive into how vanilla is produced, how vanilla extract is made and where real vanilla actually comes from.
What is vanilla and where does it come from?
Getty Images / Liudmila Chernetska
Vanilla planifolia, the species used in most commercial vanilla production, is what you may know as Madagascar (or sometimes Bourbon) vanilla, although it’s also grown in Mexico, Papua New Guinea and other equatorial countries around the globe. There’s alsoV. tahitensisor Tahitian vanilla, andV. pompona, often found in Central and South America. They taste similar, with slight variations. The Tahitian kind, for instance, contains fewer vanillins—the compounds responsible for its flavor—giving it a more subtle vanilla taste with sweet floral notes.
Processing vanilla isn’t much easier than growing it. Beans are green when picked and have to be cured, a process than can take up to two months, explains Max Jentsch, the chief operating officer ofNative Vanilla, a company that grows and sells fair-trade vanilla products. “It’s a long process and difficult to do,” he says. “Curing incorrectly can either lead to an unusable bean or a reduction in quality and size that would make it worth significantly less.” Even when everything goes well, as little as 10% of the green beans may turn into usable vanilla.
What is vanilla extract made of?
While climate change threatens supply, our own appetite for more natural ingredients in food products has upped demand. Most vanilla flavoring in food products—as much as 99%—comes from artificial vanillin derived from petrochemicals, wood pulp or other sources. But in 2015, Nestlé, General Mills and other major food companies vowed to remove artificial flavors (including vanillin) from their U.S.-sold products, which raised demand for the real stuff.
Growing vanilla in an environmentally responsible way that supports farmers is important to ensure the future of the crop and meet global demand, says Dan Edmiston, founder ofNative Vanilla. He grew up in Papua New Guinea and has dedicated his career to supporting the communities that produce it. His company buys vanilla directly from small growers and provides sustainable farming education and other support programs. “Sustainability is absolutely important, to the land, for making a quality product and for bettering the community,” he says.
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