Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, hand-cured
Hand-pollinated, sun-cured for months on raised racks in the SAVA region, these plump Bourbon vanilla pods carry the deep, boozy-sweet aroma that defines the world benchmark for vanilla.
| Origin | Sava region, Madagascar |
| Indian subcontinent | No |
| Category | Rare Spices, Botanicals & Teas |
| Retail price band | Retail USD 13–27 per 1–7 beans (~USD 100–165 per 8 oz by weight), per Beanilla and SAVA Trading Co listings |
| Bulk / trade price band | Wholesale/export roughly USD 50–150/kg in the current 2025-26 'structural correction' phase, down from 2017 peaks of USD 400-600+/kg (exportready.africa market analysis); contact verified exporters for live quotes as vanilla pricing is highly volatile |
| Sourcing status | Dossier researched from public sources — producer contact not yet established |
| Compliance status | Preliminary review complete (see below) — not yet legally verified |
Detailed study
Madagascar Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is hand-pollinated within hours of flowering, since the plant's natural Melipona-bee pollinator is absent outside Mesoamerica. Cured beans go through a multi-month process of scalding, sweating, sun-drying and conditioning that can take 3-6 months, developing the high vanillin content and dark, oily, pliable pods graded as 'Gourmet' or 'Grade A'. Top grades are at least 15-16cm long, unsplit, and free of mould, with a moisture content around 30-38%.
Provenance & producer
Roughly 80% of world supply comes from Madagascar, and within the country the SAVA region — the acronym for the towns Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemar and Andapa in the northeast — is the historic epicentre, first planted commercially in the late 19th century under French colonial administration. Cultivation is dominated by tens of thousands of smallholder farmers growing vines up on host trees or trellises, then selling green pods to local collectors and curing houses/cooperatives for processing before export.
Market & pricing
Vanilla is one of the most volatile agricultural commodities: prices swung from under USD 20/kg in oversupply troughs to USD 400-600+/kg during the 2017 shortage spike, and are currently in a post-peak correction with bumper crops pressuring prices toward the USD 50-150/kg range. Retail specialty sellers such as Beanilla price single Grade-A beans around USD 13, reflecting continued premium demand for hand-cured Bourbon vanilla in gourmet and artisanal markets.
Compliance & export
Madagascar vanilla is not DOP/PGI-protected in the EU sense but trades under recognized ISO 5565/AFNOR grading conventions (whole beans, split, cuts). US and EU food-safety import rules require standard phytosanitary certification and adherence to FDA/EU flavour and food-contact regulations; no special restriction applies beyond ordinary spice-import customs and labelling (declared vanillin content, moisture).
Sources
- SAVA Trading Company – Vanilla Beans
- exportready.africa – Vanilla Price per kg Madagascar
- Beanilla – Madagascar Vanilla Beans
Image status
A working reference photograph is in place, captured from a freely-licensed Wikimedia Commons source. Vanilla beans bulk grown in plantations, Sunil Elias, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Note: illustrative of fresh vanilla pods generally; the photo's exact growing location is not documented as Madagascar specifically. Treat this as a placeholder for marketing purposes: exact licence terms should be re-verified on the Commons file page, and original producer photography is recommended before final trade use.