From the Farm to You
 The Story of the Bean Counters.
Soil Preparation
Our vanilla plantations are created from the natural jungle environment. The soils have never been subjected to harmful pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or chemical fertilizers. Just a pristine environment, a wonderful climate and tender loving care. The farmer and his family weed the ground regularly by hand, often using a traditional machete. Very simple and very effective!!
Pollination
The vines grow around host trees and will develop for three years before they produce beans. They continue to produce beans for about a decade before being replaced. Farmers use host trees to provide a jungle canopy that protects the vines and blossoms from the sun, high winds, heavy rains and other damaging effects. Every day, our farmers check each plant for signs of an open blooming orchid. This blossom will last for only one day and will die by nightfall. Once the flower falls the bean will stop growing. The farmers have just a short half-day window when pollination must occur. The farmer hand pollinates the orchid blossom. Only in Mexico do they still rely on nature leaving the Melipone Bee and small humming birds to manage the pollination.
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| Flying Fox Bone use for pollination – Note small dimple on left side of bone used to collect pollen from Orchid |
Farmer holds orchid firmly in his hand |
He pulls back the leaves |
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| The stylum is exposed |
He holds the stem of the stylum and then removes the pollen from the male section of the stylum |
He ‘feeds’ the pollen to the female section of the stylum |
Harvesting
The vanilla bean remains on the vine for about nine months after the green pods have developed and begin to turn yellow, as they are now mature and ready for harvesting. Vanilla Tahitensis is harvested year round. Vanilla Planifolia is only harvested during the months of May to September. Harvesting takes place over several months, as pods will mature at different times during these periods. The key to a good harvest is evident in the farmer’s ability to recognize the right time to pick the beans.
Blanching / Curing / Drying / Raw
Vanilla Beans are very susceptible to attracting mold and rotting during the sun drying and curing process. To combat this problem, prior to curing, the ripe green beans are blanched in hot water, (not boiling), for several minutes at 140° - 150F° (60° - 65°C). This process terminates any further organic change, keeps the bean from splitting open and from rotting during the curing process. The importance of the correct blanching time is crucial as to how the flavor and color of the bean will evolve. After blanching, the beans are wrapped in canvas and concealed in wooden boxes for 2 days where the temperature remains high.
The curing and drying process can take from two to six months to complete. This is another crucial stage that develops the flavor and moisture of the vanilla. The beans are handled every day during this curing cycle. They are sweated at night and then naturally dried under the hot sun for a few hours every day and again returned to the ventilated drying racks in the curing house. If it rains during the day, the farmers must react quickly to bring vanilla back to dry storage, as rain will inhibit the curing process and lead to the development of mold. This is a long, labor-intensive, painstaking process, but despite this our experienced farmers consistently produce the highest quality vanilla beans.
The question is often asked as to whether vanilla beans are a RAW FOOD. Because, vanilla beans are only blanched for a few minutes in warm water, it becomes a mater of interpretation as to whether cured vanilla beans are raw or not.
 Grading & Quality Control
After the curing process is complete, the farmers will sort the beans according to grade (A, B or C) and length (smalls, regulars, longs & premium). Therefore, within each grade quality category there will be up to four length categories.
Packing and Export
Beans are placed in wax boxes and ready for inspection and export. The journey overseas begins at the plantations in the mountains. The boxes are carried by hand from the village curing houses to the closest trail or road. They are then transported to the local town for government inspection. During the rainy season, the rivers are often flooded and impassable. This will sometimes delay our product for several weeks but will not harm the beans. Consequently, we always try to keep sufficient inventory to meet demand. The Government of Papua New Guinea - Department of Agriculture must inspect each shipment prior to export. After the successful inspection, a Government Phytosanitory Certificate is issued, which allows us to deliver the cargo to the freight office. At the freight office, the paperwork is inspected and the Customs Department ensures that our Spice Export License is valid and current. The vanilla is then transported to our distribution centers.
FDA Approval – U.S. Customs and Agriculture Clearance
For shipments destined to our US distribution center, prior to leaving Papua New Guinea, The Organic Vanilla Bean Company™ must make an application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) requesting prior permission to import the vanilla beans into the USA – our home base. As both our export company in PNG and import company in the United States are registered participants in the USFDA program, this procedure is approved electronically and the shipment is quickly on its way.
 Final Quality Control, Grading and Repacking
Immediately upon receipt at our U.S. warehouse, every single bean is again inspected, rechecked and grouped according to length and grade. Beans are then vacuum packed in varying weight categories pending shipment to our customers.
Shipping
We strive to ship to our clients within one business day of receipt of payment for orders. For most shipments, we use the very reliable United States Postal Service (USPS). Most of our domestic shipments can be tracked while in transit.
The Bean Counters
This is the story of the painstaking saga of how every vanilla bean is handled hundreds of times before it reaches you – pollination - harvesting, curing, quality control, grading, packing and shipping – we are truly the Bean Counters. This labor-intensive process also explains why vanilla is the world’s second most valuable spice - only saffron being more expensive.
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