VANILLA BEANS WHOLESALE SUPPLIER

Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid plant, which grows in the form of a dark brown bean pod that is long and skinny. Vanilla orchids are grown in tropic climates, including Mexico, Tahiti, Reunion, Mauritius, Comoro, Indonesia, Uganda, and Tongo. Three-fourths of the world’s supply comes from Madagascar. Vanilla is enjoyed throughout the world. The beans are used to add real vanilla flavor to sauce, frosting, syrup, ice cream, beverages, and a variety of desserts.

What Is a Vanilla Bean?

There are over 110 varieties of vanilla orchids. Only one, Vanilla planifolia, produces the fruit responsible for 99 percent of commercial vanilla. Another genus, the Vanilla tahitensis is grown in Tahiti. Its fruit has a more pronounced aroma, but debatably less flavor. To produce the fruit, the orchid flowers are hand-pollinated at a specific time of the day when the flowers are open during a short flowering period. The fruit is not permitted to fully-ripen since this will cause the beans to split and lose its commercial value. Hand-harvesting occurs four to six months after the fruit appears on the vines. Once harvested, the green beans go through a treatment process that lasts another six months.

Some areas produce beans with higher vanillin content, which is responsible for the flavor and aroma. The resulting dark brown vanilla bean is usually 7 to 9 inches long, weighs about 5 grams and yields about 1/2 teaspoon of seeds.

Most often, vanilla beans are processed into vanilla extract, a common ingredient in baked goods and other food recipes. Pure vanilla extract is made from real vanilla beans and imitation vanilla extract uses artificial vanillin flavoring.

Whole vanilla beans or their seeds are used in recipes, just not as frequently because of the higher cost. The tiny seeds add texture and the bean has an intense flavor, plus they can add to the beauty of a light-colored dessert. Vanilla beans are simple to prepare. They’re also often used whole to infuse the natural flavor into sugar, syrups, and beverages, including liquors.