Frequently Asked Questions about Vanilla Industry

This section provides you with quick answers to common questions around Vanilla beans Industry. Broad range of topics are covered such as  history of natural vanilla beans, prices and types of vanilla beans,  find best vanilla products and recipes, cultivation, processing and much more. If you need more comprehensive information visit our All about Vanilla  blog.

Who first found vanilla beans?

Vanilla is a orchid family member that got 25,000 species and native of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Its believe the first people to cultivate have been the Totonacs of Mexico’s east coast. In 15^th Century the Aztecs acquired vanlla when they conquered the Totonacs. But Spanish got it after they conquered the Aztecs.

Why Sri Lanka Vanilla beans are good for making Vanilla Extract and Baking?

In Sri Lanka Vanilla Beans Cultivations are mainly located in high elevations (1000m above the sea level).Some are grown in tropical home gardens in mid and wet zones. The cured beans got unique aroma and taste due to processing of Vanilla beans using traditional curing methods in high altitude climate conditions. If you smell cured vanilla beans in Sri Lanka, you will feel strong earthy aroma, behind vanilla you will notice hit cocoa scent, resins. The main reason for the versatility of the vanilla aroma due to vanilla bean cultivation in Sri Lanka are closer to other spices gardens such as Cinnamon, Cocoa and Tea estates. The Grade A Vanilla beans are usually 5”-8” in length, oily, soft, moist, dark brown  with lot of vanilla seeds. Most buyers said they are perfect for making brownies, cookies and baking cakes with our Vanilla pods.

Who first discovered vanilla flavoring?

Vanilla has been using only as an additive for chocolate until 17^th century’s creative apothecary invented Chocolate -free, all vanilla flavored sweetmeats.

When first Vanilla recipe found?

In 1805 edition of Hannah Glasse’s “The Art of Cookery” which suggest adding “Vanelas” to chocolate.

How many Sri Lanka Vanilla beans in a 1 pound (lb.)1Kilogram (kg), 1Ounce (oz.)

• Grade B Vanilla beans with <15% moisture have 151 Vanilla pods per Lb. , 333 beans per Kg, 9 beans per 1 Oz
• Grade B Vanilla beans with 15-20% moisture have 113 Vanilla pods per Lb. , 250 beans per Kg, 7 beans per 1 Oz
• Grade B Vanilla beans with 20-25% moisture have 90 Vanilla pods per Lb. , 200 beans per Kg, 5.5 beans per 1 Oz
• Grade A Vanilla beans with 25-30% moisture have 76 Vanilla pods per Lb. , 167 beans per Kg, 5 beans per 1 Oz
• Grade A Vanilla beans with 35% moisture have 32 Vanilla pods per Lb. , 143 beans per Kg, 4 beans per 1 Oz

Why vanilla pods are expensive?

The second most expensive spice in the world is vanilla beans. The main reason is terrible weather had in Madagascar where more than 80% production comes from there. Further in vanilla production process, from pollinating to harvesting and the lengthy curing process need intensive labor hours. These cost add to the vanilla production, hence producers need set their prices to cover these expenses that incurred during their vanilla production.

Why should I buy your Vanilla products?

We always make sure you get the Best Vanilla Beans or other vanilla products from us as we always think our customer is our KING. So we do extra steps to keep our customers happy and loyal to our products.  

We are selling at very low prices compared to other Vanilla suppliers around the world. As we do not have intermediaries we can sell at low price after we cover Vanilla production cost with a descent profit margin. Therefore we guarantee for the best wholesale price for our all Vanilla product range ( Vanilla beans, Vanilla ground, Vanilla extract and Vanilla paste) We are the main Vanilla producer in Sri Lanka and can provide quality consistent beans for your any order size. Not only we reduce our price for bulk purchases but also for retail prices to experience all customers with our Ceylon vanilla products.

We also do private labels for the vanilla buyers who want to sell in their websites or other ecommerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Esty.

Where does vanilla come from?

Natural vanilla flavor come from a climbing orchid that produce Vanilla pods after successful hand pollination. Out of 35,000 of orchid species, only vanilla species produce edible fruit. The Vanilla Plant is native to Mexico and Central America. But now Vanilla cultivation is expanded to different tropical countries such as Indonesia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Uganda.

What is the best type of Vanilla bean to buy?

Buying best Vanilla beans is very hard when you have so many options to buy from. You might already know that the different types of Vanilla flavors come from various countries. So first you need to decide which flavor you need for your recipe

• Mexican Vanilla has flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon smoky. These vanilla is goo for fall flavors that pairs with warmer spices.
• Madagascar Vanilla flavors with sweet and creamy that perfect for everything
• Sri Lanka Vanilla beans (Ceylon Vanilla ) got unique flavor of silky and smooth aroma with a earthy ambiance that gives a perfect balance. The unique flavor is due to vanilla plants are grown and cured in a higher altitude climate.
• Uganda Vanilla flavor of chocolate
• Tahitiian Vanilla got unique flavors or floral and fruity notes with a punch of cherry at the end of the taste
• Indian Vanilla got creamy, sweet and aromatic flavor
• Indonesia Vanilla beans have unique woody and smoky flavors that pairs with chocolate

How do we know best vanilla beans?

Always best vanilla pods can roll around your fingers without breaking them. Once you decide what flavor of vanilla or the preferred market, it is important to know how to identify the quality vanilla pods. The selected beans need to be long, pliable, plump and moist. When you squeeze the beans, you will feel little bit squishy and dense nature. Do not buy if you see dry looking, cracked or brittle beans in your pack.

What are the grades of vanilla beans?

There are two Vanilla grades based on the pod’s moisture content. Grade A Vanilla beans have 30-35% of moisture. Beans are expensive , high quality and versality of uses, They use for Baking, Cooking and used to make vanilla extract. Grade B beans got 20% of moisture use only for making Vanilla Extract. Beans are not expensive, visually less appealing due to dry and brittle nature

What are the best types of Vanilla extracts?

Most buyers asking about differences between Vanilla extracts and how to identify the best Vanilla extract. Below are quick tips to identify good vanilla extract

• Check if it’s a Vanilla extract or Vanilla flavor. Vanilla extract and vanilla flavor are not same product. Vanilla flavor is made with glycerin or propylene glycol. They do not have alcohol. Vanilla extract is stronger than vanilla flavor. You can use if you do not use alcohol
• Ensure extract is made from premium grade vanilla beans with good aroma and have high natural vanillin content.
• Use less sugar vanilla extracts. As Vanilla is slight sweet and it does not need to add sugar to increase its flavor.
• Best extracts are through properly aged production
• No expiry dates for the vanilla extract due to high content of alcohol. So you can buy next bottle before you empty the one you using now. To do more aging you can store new Vanilla extract bottle cool dark place. If your Vanilla extract do not have sugar add 1 tablespoon of sugar with one pint of extract to help with the aging process and to reduce smell of alcohol.

Most famous Vanilla Flavor recipes  used natural Vanilla Beans extracts or Vanilla bean paste. The Vanilla Beans paste can  be used as a substitute to pure  Vanilla Extract. Further Vanilla Beans Grade A use for most of baking recipes.

What are prices of Vanilla beans in Sri Lanka?

Vanilla beans prices in Sri Lanka mainly depend on the place where you buy from. If you buy from wholesalers the prices are lower than the intermediaries or retailers.

Price for 1kg of vanilla beans grade A can vary from $150 to $350. The length also main factor for price variations. Normally 5″ A grade vanilla pods price for 1Lb vary from $75 to $200.

So it is important to do bit more price research around if you are buying directly from a vanilla factory or intermediary 

What are the main 4 health benefits of vanillin in Vanilla?

There 4 main health values in vanilla among all other benefits of vanillin

1. Anticancer characteristics
2. Anti-inflammatory properties
3. Antioxidant values
4. Neuroprotective-boost brain function