Our family grows
Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans
Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar is Vanilla planifolia, grown in the Indian Ocean. Here it comes from one place only: the SAVA region, in ...
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Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar is Vanilla planifolia, grown in the Indian Ocean. Here it comes from one place only: the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar, where our family grows and cures this vanilla. You buy direct from the producer, with nobody standing between the vine and your kitchen.
This collection holds the whole range: whole beans sold by grade, glass tubes, pouches, vanilla caviar, powder, extract and vanilla sugar. Same lot, in whichever format suits you.
Choosing your format
- Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar: four grades from 10 to 20 cm, with the price per bean shown next to every format. This is the reference format for infusing, splitting and scraping.
- Small glass tube, 3 beans and large glass tube, 10 beans: glass keeps the bean supple and stores easily in a cupboard.
- Vanilla caviar: the seeds and pulp, without the pod wall, ready to measure out.
- Vanilla powder and vanilla extract: for batters and doughs, when you want to disperse rather than infuse.
- The four-grade box: the clearest way to understand what the length of a bean changes.
Grade decides everything
All else being equal, a 19 cm bean carries more seeds than an 11 cm bean. That is the only difference between our grades: it is the same Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar, from the same harvest. We measure every bean with a gauge and the grade is written on the pouch.
Our work, from the field to the parcel
Every flower is pollinated by hand. The bean stays months on the vine, then it is scalded, sun-dried, conditioned and sorted by hand, lot by lot. None of this is subcontracted: our family does it, in Madagascar.
Keeping your vanilla
Away from air, light and heat, in an airtight container. The white bloom that can appear on the surface of a bean is crystallised vanillin, never mould.
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Before you choose
What you are buying, in two steps
Two questions decide the price of a bean: its length, and how many you take. Here are both, worked out on today's prices.
Sizes · whole beans
S
10 to 12 cm
€1,90per bean
M
13 to 15 cm
€2,50per bean
L
16 to 18 cm
€3,90per bean
XL
19 to 20 cm
€4,90per bean
Same vanilla, same harvest, same family. Only the length changes, and it is the length that sets the price.
Et plus vous en prenez
1 beans
€2,50 per bean
M · 13 to 15 cm
At equal size, the bean costs less and less as the quantity goes up. Prices shown are today s prices.
See every format and its price per bean
| Format | Price | Per bean | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, 1 to 5 beans (Discovery) | |||
| 1 bean | €2,90 | €2,90 | — |
| 3 beans | €6,90 | €2,30 | −20 % |
| 5 beans | €10,90 | €2,18 | −24 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, 30 to 100 beans (Eco/Pro) | |||
| 30 beans | €32,90 | €1,10 | — |
| 50 beans | €44,90 | €0,90 | −18 % |
| 100 beans | €78,90 | €0,79 | −28 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, your choice : sizes S/M/L/XL (10 beans) | |||
| S (10–12 cm) – 10 beans | €13,90 | €1,39 | — |
| M (13–15 cm) – 10 beans | €18,90 | €1,89 | — |
| L (16–18 cm) – 10 beans | €24,90 | €2,49 | — |
| XL (19–20 cm) – 10 beans | €29,90 | €2,99 | — |
| Pompona XXL vanilla from Madagascar · beans of 20 to 25 cm | |||
| 2 beans | €15,90 | €7,95 | — |
| 5 beans | €37,90 | €7,58 | −4 % |
| 10 beans | €69,90 | €6,99 | −12 % |
| 20 beans | €109,90 | €5,50 | −30 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans S · 10 to 12 cm | |||
| 1 bean | €1,90 | €1,90 | — |
| 5 beans | €7,90 | €1,58 | −16 % |
| 10 beans | €11,90 | €1,19 | −37 % |
| 20 beans | €18,90 | €0,95 | −50 % |
| 50 beans | €33,90 | €0,68 | −64 % |
| 100 beans | €59,90 | €0,60 Best value | −68 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans M · 13 to 15 cm | |||
| 1 bean | €2,50 | €2,50 | — |
| 5 beans | €9,90 | €1,98 | −20 % |
| 10 beans | €16,90 | €1,69 | −32 % |
| 20 beans | €25,90 | €1,30 | −48 % |
| 50 beans | €45,90 | €0,92 | −63 % |
| 100 beans | €80,90 | €0,81 | −67 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans L · 16 to 18 cm | |||
| 1 bean | €3,90 | €3,90 | — |
| 5 beans | €12,90 | €2,58 | −33 % |
| 10 beans | €21,90 | €2,19 | −43 % |
| 20 beans | €33,90 | €1,70 | −56 % |
| 50 beans | €60,90 | €1,22 | −68 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans XL · 19 to 20 cm | |||
| 1 bean | €4,90 | €4,90 | — |
| 5 beans | €15,90 | €3,18 | −35 % |
| 10 beans | €25,90 | €2,59 | −47 % |
| 20 beans | €40,90 | €2,05 | −58 % |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans L · 16 to 18 cm | |||
| 100 beans | €119,90 | €1,20 | — |
| Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans XL · 19 to 20 cm | |||
| 50 beans | €84,90 | €1,70 | — |
| 100 beans | €164,90 | €1,65 | −2 % |
Calculated automatically on today's prices. Only the formats counted in beans and currently in stock appear here: the packs sold by weight, 500 g and 1 kg, are on the product page.
The variety
Our whole beans are Vanilla planifolia, the variety known as Bourbon vanilla. Our family grows and cures it in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar.
The size
Length decides the size, and size decides the price. For the same variety and the same harvest, an XL of 19 to 20 cm carries more seeds than an S of 10 to 12 cm. Our four sizes are sold separately: you choose.
Storage
Away from air, light and damp, a bean keeps its aroma for years. The white bloom that can appear on the surface is crystallised vanillin, a sign of richness, never mould.
Our family grows it, SAVA region
Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, direct from the grower
Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar is Vanilla planifolia, grown in the Indian Ocean. Here it comes from one place only: the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar, where our family grows and cures this vanilla. You buy direct from the producer, with nobody standing between the vine and your kitchen.
This collection holds the whole range: whole beans sold by grade, glass tubes, pouches, vanilla caviar, powder, extract and vanilla sugar. Same lot, in whichever format suits you.
Choosing your format
- Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar: four grades from 10 to 20 cm, with the price per bean shown next to every format. This is the reference format for infusing, splitting and scraping.
- Small glass tube, 3 beans and large glass tube, 10 beans: glass keeps the bean supple and stores easily in a cupboard.
- Vanilla caviar: the seeds and pulp, without the pod wall, ready to measure out.
- Vanilla powder and vanilla extract: for batters and doughs, when you want to disperse rather than infuse.
- The four-grade box: the clearest way to understand what the length of a bean changes.
Grade decides everything
All else being equal, a 19 cm bean carries more seeds than an 11 cm bean. That is the only difference between our grades: it is the same Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar, from the same harvest. We measure every bean with a gauge and the grade is written on the pouch.
Our work, from the field to the parcel
Every flower is pollinated by hand. The bean stays months on the vine, then it is scalded, sun-dried, conditioned and sorted by hand, lot by lot. None of this is subcontracted: our family does it, in Madagascar.
Keeping your vanilla
Away from air, light and heat, in an airtight container. The white bloom that can appear on the surface of a bean is crystallised vanillin, never mould.
Fourteen months of work, eight stages
From flower to parcel
The journey of one vanilla bean with us, from the hand-pollinated flower to the box that leaves for France.
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Hand pollination Hand pollination of a vanilla orchid flower. Illustrative image.
The flower
It opens for a single morning. We marry it by hand, flower after flower, before the sun climbs.
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Nine months on the vine Green beans on the vine, before cutting. Illustrative image.
The green bean
Nine months hanging on the vine. We cut when the tip turns yellow, not a day sooner.
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Sun drying Sun drying on the mats, SAVA region.
The sun
Blanched in hot water, the beans go out on the mats every morning. They turn brown and wrinkle.
-
Slow drying Back in the shade for slow drying, SAVA region.
The shade
In the afternoon they come back in to finish drying in the shade. This back and forth lasts for weeks.
-
In the trunk Bundles laid in the trunk for curing.
The curing
Tied in bundles, laid in paper. The aroma gathers over months.
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Grading Sorting and grading at the workshop, Sambava.
The sorting
Bean by bean, by length and by grain. Each size leaves in its own bundle.
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Workshop Filling the tubes, beans counted one by one.
Into the tube
Counted, lined up, slipped one by one into the glass. Gloves, apron, clean table.
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Export Numbered cartons, ready for export.
Departure
Cartons weighed, numbered, strapped. They leave Sambava for France.
Étapes 1 et 2 : images d’illustration libres de droit. Gousses vertes sur liane, photo RAJOELIMBOLOLONA Maryo Sebastieni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Les six autres photos sont les nôtres, prises dans la région SAVA à Madagascar.
The other vanilla of Madagascar
Pompona, the outsized bean
Alongside Bourbon, our family cures Vanilla pompona: beans of 20 to 25 cm, thick and fleshy, with a floral, aniseed and fruity range. Nothing like the cocoa and tobacco of Bourbon. Quantities depend on the harvest and are always limited.
What it changes
From the grower to your kitchen, with no middleman
Our family grows
The vanilla comes from our own plots in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar. We do not buy lots on a market: we plant, we pollinate by hand, we scald and we cure.
Stock held in France
The beans travel once, in one lot, and wait for your order in France. Dispatch within 48 hours, in France and worldwide.
The size is on the label
Every format states its length and its number of beans. The price per bean is shown higher up this page: you compare without doing the maths.
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked most
What is the difference between Bourbon vanilla and Madagascar vanilla?
None as to origin: Bourbon refers to Vanilla planifolia cured by the Indian Ocean method, and Madagascar is its leading producer. All our whole-bean vanilla is Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar.
Which size should I choose?
For everyday baking, the M of 13 to 15 cm is more than enough. The L and the XL carry more seeds and show on the plate: take them for a crème brûlée, an ice cream, a dessert where vanilla is the subject. The S is the best value for an infusion or for home-made vanilla sugar.
My beans are covered in a white bloom, is that mould?
No. These are crystals of pure vanillin, formed naturally when the bean is rich and well cured. It is sought after, not a defect. Mould is downy, green or grey, and smells musty.
How many beans for a recipe?
One bean for half a litre of cream or milk gives a clear vanilla. For a spiced rum, count 3 to 5 beans per litre. A bean that has been split and scraped can serve again: rinse it, dry it, slip it into your sugar.
How should I store them?
In their resealable bag or a glass tube, at room temperature, away from light. Never in the fridge: cold and damp encourage mould. Kept this way, they last for years.
Do you sell by the kilo?
Yes, for trade customers: four grades of beans by the kilo, from graded Gourmet to extraction cuts, with prices falling from 1 to 500 kg.
A question about a lot, a size, an order by weight?
Write to us
The Wiki
Everything we know about vanilla, written down
Choosing a size, recognising a well-cured bean, storing it, measuring it, making it last. Our guides are written from the plantation, not from an office.