Organic vanilla sector

Vanilla cultivation is concentrated in the north-east of the country, in the Sambava region, where vanilla can be grown in organized plantations with pre-planted live stakes, as well as in agroforestry. Indeed, this forested region enables growers to use the stakes (trees already present in the forest) to climb the vanilla trees. However, managing the foliage of the stakes is easier in plantations, as vanilla trees need alternating shade and sunlight, which means that the stakes need to be pruned at the right moment. Hand-pollination of vanilla flowers is a delicate local skill, often carried out by women or by the plantation owner.

Vanilla beans must be harvested at maturity to obtain the best quality. However, depending on growers' cash flow requirements and the pressure on the vanilla market, some plantations are harvested too early, resulting in a drop in pod quality on the market.

The process after harvesting the green pods is also part of the local know-how: scalding, steaming, drying and refining. After ripening, the pods are sorted by hand and graded: gourmet black; TK; European red (A and B); US red; Cuts. Split and unsplit pods are also separated.