Vanilla pods, 1kg
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- £190.00
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- £190.00
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Product Info
PURE AND VERSATILE: Long, hand-picked pods, 15cm - 18cm+, moist and with a high concentration of vanilla seeds, make it easy to create everything from panna cottas in professional kitchens to the latest lines of craft beer.
Our Farmers
From the outset, we knew that sourcing high-quality green beans from farmers would be key to us producing superior cured vanilla, and that doing this consistently would allow us to confidently portray its provenance. We have a symbiotic relationship with our farmers, much more so than the off-takers and industrial companies at the end of a long conventional supply chain which allows them to pick and choose on a transactional basis.
Investing
As such, we invest in our farmers for the long-term, putting on training sessions but also going much further by visiting and coaching them in their individual gardens. A priority for us is championing the often-unheralded skills of the women in smallholder households.
Over the years we have given direct support in the form of barbed wire, raingear, gum boots, farming inputs, etc. We also give interest-free loans and assistance with the guarding of farmers’ vines, which has been paramount during the period of elevated prices and theft, and this has helped reduce the risk of child labour.
We are now preparing our farmers to undertake the rigorous organic certification process in the coming year. We will be funding the programme, which will empower them to keep the requisite records and ultimately they will personally hold the certification from one of the most credible global certifiers.
How We Buy
Primarily, we treat our farmers with respect and give them the opportunity to prove themselves.
At a practical level, we communicate as often as possible, and in advance of visiting their area. We check on their beans regularly in person so that they know our expectations, and that of the market more generally.
We are careful to keep each farmer’s beans clearly identified. This allows us to undertake the small things, such as cross-checking our weighing, which give farmers confidence in us and build trust.
We always aim to give a fair and transparent price. Our larger buyers give us the latest information from Madagascar, which provides some 80% of the global vanilla supply – we are then able to give our farmers direct and reliable information leading up to harvest times.
At the end of the day, we are constantly giving feedback so they understand the direct impact of their actions on product quality long-term, to encourage and spur them on.