Is Vanilla Extracting Your Money?

By Gabrielle Ceconi ('22)

Oftentimes, mothers and home bakers reach for this small but powerful bottle in their cabinets, the one that holds the key to the luxurious flavor that is popularly whiffed in chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and countless other baked goods. It’s commonly seen on store shelves, waiting in brown tinted bottles for someone to pick them up to then be splashed into a bowl of creamed butter and sugar. 

Vanilla is one of the most universal spices, with its origins dating back to the 16th century in Mesoamerica. According to vanillaqueen.com, the spice has always been a luxury item, even in the modern world today where only ten vanilla pods cost upwards of thirty dollars on Amazon. With modern farming and production methods, many consumers might wonder why vanilla is still so expensive?

Once the beans are harvested after being grown, they are laid out in the sun to dry out for months, so that they can cure and become darkened. Then, they are shipped and sold out to be used for consumption. If it is being made into vanilla extract, then the pods are placed into alcohol such as rum or vodka, and they sit for a few weeks to produce the deep brown flavor enhancer. If you want a more powerful flavor, you can also scrape the inside seeds of the pod itself.

Aside from the level of labor intensity, another reason for vanilla’s cost is a sudden rise in consumer demand for the spice. In the 80s, vanillin, also known as artificial vanilla, became more popular as it was cheaper and created a similar taste to vanilla in baked goods. However, suddenly in 2011, demand for real vanilla increased causing growers to have to deal with the stress of growing more beans, which ultimately increases the price for consumers.  

Due to this high demand, many growers have had their beans stolen, and growers often brand their beans to know where they came from, so that they do not get mixed in with illegally purchased beans. They also sometimes stamp their name or serial numbers into the beans so that when the beans are harvested, the designs are clearly read on the beans, stopping thefted beans from being purchased. The problem has become so bad, that growers carry around machetes which were once used to harvest the beans, but now used for personal protection. According to BBC News, growers in Madagascar have to guard their crops 24 hours a day, and there have even been murders over the valuable crop. Farmers protect their crops and if they can not make enough money, whether that be from a bad season or even a robbery, they are inconvenienced after production. In addition, growers have resorted to picking their pods early, which diminishes the quality of the vanilla. 

Finally, weather is a big contender in vanilla costs. Madagascar, where most of the world’s vanilla is produced, is often hit by cyclones, making for a rougher season of production. The effect of climate change on these storms also makes for a more expensive season, as new plants must be replanted and looked after. 

Vanilla is a highly underrated spice, often being repurposed as a word to describe boring or simple things. However, when you look into the complexity of how it is grown, you might change your mind. When baking, you might want to consider all of the strenuous labor that goes into flavoring those deliciously rich chocolate chip cookies.