Here's an update on what's happening in the vanilla market. In 2005, the price for vanilla dropped
50% after an historical high. This was due to a full recovery in the vanilla harvest which allowed
for the first time in 4 years the availability of more vanilla beans than there was demand. Since
2005 prices have held very stable. We have seen some slight fluctuations in pricing up and down,
but nothing to impact the overall average market price. Harvests have been at normal levels
worldwide and demand has slowly increased over the last 2 years. But, the market still has more
supply worldwide than there is demand, a return to normalcy. Thus, there are no expectations of
any changes in prices, assuming no natural disasters hit the growing regions (like in 2000). The
good news is we are passed cyclone season for the growing regions, so everything should remain
stable for the next year. There is no commodity market for vanilla. Due to the length of time it
takes to produce vanilla beans (14-16 months), the relatively small supply vs. demand compared
to traditional commodities and the traditional selling structure a commodity market has never been
considered for vanilla beans.
Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices in the world, second only to saffron. This due to the
agricultural production of vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are the fruit of an orchid (either vanilla
planifolia Andrews or vanilla tahitensis moore) and due to their physical structure they need to
hand pollinated. The orchids only blossom one day per year, but luckily that occurs over a 30-60
day time period. Each vine needs to visited daily to check on the blossoms and then the orchid
must be hand pollinated to produce the fruit, the vanilla bean. The growing period for vanilla lasts
6-8 months at which time it must be hand pollinated, again by hand, to ensure only ripe beans are
taken. They then must be blanched and sun dried for another 4-6 months. Finally they will be
conditioned for another 2-3 months and then sorted by grade/type before they are ready for
export. So, in total it requires 14-16 months from pollination until the beans are ready for export
with all steps done by hand. Thus, due to the labor intensity it becomes very expensive.
Within a vanilla bean there are over 250 different compounds that make up the flavor of pure
vanilla. Each compound plays its own unique role in developing the full vanilla bouquet. The
single largest compound is natural vanillin. Artificial vanilla is the chemical match of this one
compound, so while it closely resembles natural vanilla, it is very shallow and one sided when
compared to the full depth of flavor found in natural, pure vanilla. People should notice a
significant difference when using pure vanilla compared with artificial vanilla.
Vanilla beans are probably the most intimidating form of vanilla to use for the average consumer.
Of course, many chefs use the whole vanilla bean on food shows and thus the consumer wants
to or feels they must replicate that. When cooking with a vanilla bean you typically always have
to steep the bean in the liquid base used in a recipe. Heat is the requirement for the liquid to
absorb the flavor using this method. Some people will use only the seeds/pulp of the vanilla bean
directly in recipes, but it is always recommended to use the whole bean, both the outer pod and
seeds inside. The flavor of a vanilla bean comes from the essential oils contained in the whole
bean and thus the whole bean should be used for maximum flavor. Vanilla beans may often be
used 2-3 times depending on the recipe before they lose too much flavor. The final step should
be adding the bean to a jar of sugar to allow the remaining flavor to be absorbed. When
purchasing vanilla beans they should be pliable and able to be wrapped around a finger. As I
mentioned the flavor comes from the essential oils and if the oils have dissipated the bean will be
dry, brittle and easily snapped with no valuable flavor remaining.
50% after an historical high. This was due to a full recovery in the vanilla harvest which allowed
for the first time in 4 years the availability of more vanilla beans than there was demand. Since
2005 prices have held very stable. We have seen some slight fluctuations in pricing up and down,
but nothing to impact the overall average market price. Harvests have been at normal levels
worldwide and demand has slowly increased over the last 2 years. But, the market still has more
supply worldwide than there is demand, a return to normalcy. Thus, there are no expectations of
any changes in prices, assuming no natural disasters hit the growing regions (like in 2000). The
good news is we are passed cyclone season for the growing regions, so everything should remain
stable for the next year. There is no commodity market for vanilla. Due to the length of time it
takes to produce vanilla beans (14-16 months), the relatively small supply vs. demand compared
to traditional commodities and the traditional selling structure a commodity market has never been
considered for vanilla beans.
Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices in the world, second only to saffron. This due to the
agricultural production of vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are the fruit of an orchid (either vanilla
planifolia Andrews or vanilla tahitensis moore) and due to their physical structure they need to
hand pollinated. The orchids only blossom one day per year, but luckily that occurs over a 30-60
day time period. Each vine needs to visited daily to check on the blossoms and then the orchid
must be hand pollinated to produce the fruit, the vanilla bean. The growing period for vanilla lasts
6-8 months at which time it must be hand pollinated, again by hand, to ensure only ripe beans are
taken. They then must be blanched and sun dried for another 4-6 months. Finally they will be
conditioned for another 2-3 months and then sorted by grade/type before they are ready for
export. So, in total it requires 14-16 months from pollination until the beans are ready for export
with all steps done by hand. Thus, due to the labor intensity it becomes very expensive.
Within a vanilla bean there are over 250 different compounds that make up the flavor of pure
vanilla. Each compound plays its own unique role in developing the full vanilla bouquet. The
single largest compound is natural vanillin. Artificial vanilla is the chemical match of this one
compound, so while it closely resembles natural vanilla, it is very shallow and one sided when
compared to the full depth of flavor found in natural, pure vanilla. People should notice a
significant difference when using pure vanilla compared with artificial vanilla.
Vanilla beans are probably the most intimidating form of vanilla to use for the average consumer.
Of course, many chefs use the whole vanilla bean on food shows and thus the consumer wants
to or feels they must replicate that. When cooking with a vanilla bean you typically always have
to steep the bean in the liquid base used in a recipe. Heat is the requirement for the liquid to
absorb the flavor using this method. Some people will use only the seeds/pulp of the vanilla bean
directly in recipes, but it is always recommended to use the whole bean, both the outer pod and
seeds inside. The flavor of a vanilla bean comes from the essential oils contained in the whole
bean and thus the whole bean should be used for maximum flavor. Vanilla beans may often be
used 2-3 times depending on the recipe before they lose too much flavor. The final step should
be adding the bean to a jar of sugar to allow the remaining flavor to be absorbed. When
purchasing vanilla beans they should be pliable and able to be wrapped around a finger. As I
mentioned the flavor comes from the essential oils and if the oils have dissipated the bean will be
dry, brittle and easily snapped with no valuable flavor remaining.
Price of Vanilla Remains Steady
from an email conversation with Matt Nielsen, COO, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
from an email conversation with Matt Nielsen, COO, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
| 1. Split 3 or 4 and to your favorite bottle of Brandy (375 ml). Ready to use when you bake your holiday cookies. 2. After infusing simple syrup, rinse bean and let bean dry. Add to container of granulated sugar. Use as you would any granulated sugar. 3. After bean is brittle, remove from sugar bin and whiz in (clean) spice grinder, sift and add to 1 cup of granulated sugar for intense vanilla sugar. |
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