OUR VANILLA BEANS
Discover the Authentic Intensity of Grand Cru Vanilla, selected for demanding chefs, artisans, and pastry chefs. Sourced from the finest plantations in Madagascar and Indonesia, our beans unveil rich and complex aromas, perfect for enhancing your desserts, sauces, and infusions. Each bean is a concentrate of powerful and natural flavors, ideal for creating premium-quality creations.
What Are Vanilla Beans and Where Do They Come From?
Vanilla, one of the most prized flavors in the world, comes from the Vanilla Planifolia orchid. Its journey, from the flower to the captivating aroma, is fascinating, with each origin revealing unique characteristics. Here’s an overview of the two main varieties we offer:
- Madagascar Vanilla, also known as Bourbon vanilla, is the most renowned. Harvested in Madagascar, Réunion, and the Comoros, it offers rich, creamy notes that elevate desserts such as crème brûlée, ice cream, and pastries.
- Indonesian Vanilla, grown on the islands of Java, Bali, and Sulawesi, is distinguished by its woody, smoky aromas. Highly valued for the production of vanilla extracts, it holds up well during cooking and is ideal for fusion-flavored dishes, sauces, and exotic desserts.
How Are Our Vanilla Beans Grown?
The exceptional quality of our vanilla beans results from a rigorous cultivation and transformation process, which includes several key steps:
- Manual Pollination: Every morning, for 3 to 4 months, farmers visit their plantations to manually pollinate the vanilla flowers. These flowers remain open for only a few hours and must be pollinated quickly to ensure the formation of the beans.
- Harvesting and Blanching: After about 9 months of maturation, the beans are harvested and immediately blanched in hot water. This step halts their growth and triggers the development of the aromas that will fully unfold during drying.
- Sun Drying: The beans are sun-dried for several weeks. This process reduces moisture and intensifies the flavors, transforming the green beans into their dark, shiny, and fragrant form.
- Aging and Inspection: After drying, the beans are aged in controlled conditions to allow the aromas to fully develop. Each bean is then manually inspected to ensure it meets our high-quality standards before packaging.
Vanilla Beans, Extract, or Paste: How to Choose?
When it comes to vanilla, the choices can seem endless: fragrant beans, powerful extracts, or smooth pastes. Each product has its unique characteristics that influence the flavors in our recipes.
- Vanilla Extract is the most well-known. Made by infusing vanilla beans in a mixture of alcohol and water, it offers a rich and versatile flavor that works well in both classic desserts, such as cakes and cookies, as well as sauces and beverages.
- Vanilla Paste is a practical alternative to beans and extract. It is more concentrated, made from vanilla seeds and extract, with a thick and syrupy consistency. It is ideal for showcasing vanilla in recipes where its visual appeal is important, such as creams, ice creams, and glazes.
- Vanilla Beans, on the other hand, are the essence of the plant, offering a complex and deep flavor. Used in homemade ice creams, creams, and infusions, they require more effort but deliver an incomparable taste.
Whether you choose extract, paste, or beans, each form of vanilla adds a unique touch to your culinary creations.
The Advantages of Origine Vanilla Beans
Choosing our vanilla beans means opting for a high-quality and ethical product. Here's why our beans stand out:
- Rigorous Selection: We carefully select only the finest vanilla beans, cultivated in ideal conditions to offer exceptional quality and aroma.
- Control of the Value Chain: We oversee every step of the process, from cultivation to packaging, ensuring complete traceability and optimal quality control.
- Commitment to Sustainability: Our beans come from producers committed to regenerative farming practices. This allows us to support sustainable practices that improve soil health and promote fair working conditions for producers.
- Transparency and Ethics: By choosing Origine, you support a company that values transparency and ethics in all its operations. We are dedicated to providing products that meet the highest quality standards while having a positive impact on the environment and local communities.