Vanilla: treasure from a one-day miracle

Key elements of ecological vanilla cultivation

Growing in partial shade: vanilla orchids flourish well in partial shade, so they don’t need a lot of water. What is more, the risk of soil erosion also reduces.

Facilitating natural pollination: this way growers are trying to protect the original state of the growing area, which attracts the bees and insects that pollinate the plants.

Pollination by hand: when the vanilla orchid blooms, farmers use a brush to pollinate the flowers. This method makes yield maximisation possible, without chemical use.

Chemical-free crop protection: farmers use natural methods, such as planting insect-deterring plants, removing weed manually, and covering the ground.

To produce high-quality vanilla, growers need to have huge expertise and patience

Vanilla bean: areas of use

Vanilla is one of the most popular and at the same time most expensive spices. One of its most frequent uses is making vanilla extract. Vanilla powder is made by grinding the vanilla beans into fine powder. In this form vanilla is easy to work with and can be stored longer than the beans. . Vanilla sugar is made to combine the sweetness of sugar with the special flavour of vanilla. Vanilla paste has a more intense taste than vanilla extract.

Environmental impacts may be minimised by eco-farming practices

Vanillin isn’t vanilla

Vanilla sugar and vanillin sugar are two different sweeteners. Vanilla sugar contains real vanilla extract, while vanillin sugar is a synthetic sweetener made from vanillin. Vanillin is a compound similar to the natural aroma and flavour found in vanilla beans, which is produced artificially. Vanillin sugar is much cheaper than vanilla sugar. These two can’t substitute one another, because they give different flavours to the food. Real vanilla sugar provides a more intense, richer vanilla flavour and aroma. Vanillin sugar is less intense and typically only adds a vanillin flavour to the food.

Real vanilla sugar and vanillin sugar aren’t interchangeable, because they provide food with different taste and aroma 

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This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2023/4.