The Road to Hand Pollination

• The vanilla bean passed from the Totonac to the Aztecs and on to the Spanish conquistadors who took vanilla pods to Spain, which shipped the pods to chocolate manufacturers in Europe. For the next 300 years, Mexico remained the only country where the vanilla bean was grown. Mexico’s little Melipone bee provided the only known source of pollination for the vanilla plant. In the late 1700s, Thomas Jefferson brought vanilla beans to the U.S. from France . Not until the 18th century was hand-pollination of the vanilla plant perfected so vanilla beans could be grown outside of Mexico. Mexican, Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian are the most common types of vanilla bean pods, each producing a distinct vanilla flavor.

Cultivation and Curing

• The planting, cultivation and sale of vanilla beans is a labor-intensive process that takes about five years.

  • On family farms in regions where vanilla beans are grown, farmers wait for the one day in the growing season when the vanilla flower opens.

  • Hand-pollination on that specific day results in vanilla pods that grow on the vines and from which the vanilla beans will sprout. After harvesting, the vanilla beans go through a three- to six-month curing process.

  • Although the process varies in different growing regions, in Mexico, curing involves sun-drying during the day and sweat boxes at night so the vanilla beans develop the dark brown color, earthy aroma and spicy flavor that signals readiness for market.

Manufacturing Vanilla Extract

• Manufacturers use one of two methods to produce vanilla extract, according to the Arizona Vanilla Company. Both methods involve infusing alcohol with the vanilla bean, after which the alcohol is put through a strainer. The maceration method soaks the vanilla beans in alcohol, while the percolation method washes the alcohol repeatedly over the beans which are on racks. Manufacturers ages vanilla extract for a few months to two years or more before bottling and selling the product.

Pure Vanilla Extract

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the manufacture of pure vanilla extract for sale in the United States. Manufacturers must follow strict rules for ingredients in order to label the product "vanilla extract." The FDA requires pure vanilla extract to contain at least .11 grams of extracted vanilla per 100 ml and at least 35 percent alcohol. Even though the extract contains other ingredients, such as sugar and corn syrup, it meets the FDA definition of pure vanilla extract if it contains the required alcohol and vanilla. Products that don't meet FDA requirements have different labels, such as vanilla flavor or imitation vanilla.