Bourbon vanilla and cloves from Madagascar
Our organic vanilla and cloves are grown by our long-standing partner cooperatives on the fringes of the UNESCO-designated Mananara Biosphere Reserve in north-eastern Madagascar. PRONATEC and PREMIUM SPICES have been working with independent smallholders’ cooperatives in Mananara since 2002 and helped many of them achieve organic and Fairtrade certification.
Protecting the tropical rainforest
It takes a three-days drive up the bumpy main road from the capital Antananarivo to the Mananara Biosphere Reserve. The farmers typically live in small villages at the borders of the reserve. The up to 1,5m long vanilla orchids grow on the fringes of the protected tropical rainforest, curled around the branches of their supporting plants, while the cloves grow in traditional clove forests. The sustainable cultivation of vanilla and cloves is based on pesticide-free organic farming principles.
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Vanilla curing: the most important steps
When the vanilla orchids are in full bloom, the flowers are pollinated by hand with spines from orange trees. Later, the farmers mark the green vanilla pods with their individual copper needle stamps to prevent theft and ensure traceability. The green organic vanilla pods are then harvested and professionally fermented and dried – in our case at PREMIUM SPICES’ own fermentation and drying centre. After a total of six to eight weeks of elaborate care, which includes hot bathing, sweating, sun drying, shade drying and daily massages of the darkening vanilla pods, the finished product is created: our organic vanilla with the typical round yet complex Bourbon flavour.
Cloves from traditional clove forests
Madagascar is the largest exporter of cloves in the world and has a wealth of experience in both cultivation and processing. Cloves production spans much of the country’s East coast, providing an important income to farmers. The clove trees grow in traditional clove forests. Cloves come from the flower buds of the clove tree which are harvested before they flower and are then dried in the sun. PREMIUM SPICES collects the sun-dried cloves from the small farmers and takes care of quality control as well as export.
