VANILLA CULTIVATION
Blooming flower, buds and young Vanilla pods |
Among the 30,000 varieties of orchids, Vanilla is the only one that bears fruit. The pods of the Vanilla Planifolia Andrews species are used after ripening for their natural aromatic qualities of extreme finesse so perfectly sweet, in pastry, chocolate, confectionery, cooking and perfumery. It is the most widespread and used aroma.Vanilla is the sweetest and most refined of spices, while having a powerful aroma. It goes wonderfully with sweet dishes and today's Grands Chefs associate it happily with savory dishes. |
THE HARVEST
The harvest takes place after nine to eleven months of maturation of the vanilla pods on the vine. The whole fruit is shiny green with a light yellow head. Very fine streaks appear and the two lines of dehiscence are accentuated. It is at this precise stage that we are harvesting. By operating earlier or later, you get defective fruit.The ripe picked green pods are immediately transported first on man's back through the mountain then by canoe on the Ankavana River, the only link with the coast, to our refining station located in Manambato - Antalaha on the edge of the Indian Ocean. The trade winds blow over this region throughout the year creating a mild climate very favorable to the processing of Vanilla. The average temperature is 26 ° C. A first sorting makes it possible to separate the long pods from the short ones and from the split ones with a view to different treatments according to their respective maturity. "Companies like ours, 100% family-run, can only exist by offering pods of extreme quality and rigorously selected.From now on the Malagasy government, associated with professionals in the Vanilla sector, decides for each region the authorized start date of harvest in order to guarantee the maturity of the pods and also the unique quality of the Vanilla LAVANY. " |
Land transport on man's back of green Vanilla pods + Transport by pirogue on the Ankavana riverSorting of the green pods of freshly harvested Vanilla before scalding |
All the facilities managed by the RANJA Family in Madagascar and by Vanille LAVANY in France are certified for three years AB - Organic Agriculture by