Essential oil – organic vanilla extract (vanilla planifolia)
The most important species for producing vanilla beans is sweet vanilla (vanilla planifolia), which is predominantly cultivated in Madagascar. Sweet vanilla is sold commercially under the names Bourbon vanilla and Mexican vanilla. Vanilla plants are cultivated on plantations. The vanilla beans, which can grow up to 30 centimeters long, are harvested shortly before ripening, when they are yellow-green. To obtain vanilla as a highly aromatic spice, they are dried and fermented, a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process.