Getting to the good stuff

When it comes to the good stuff, our story starts in the SAVA region of Madagascar, where 80% of the world production of vanilla beans is grown. We’ve been working in this way since 2006, partnering with over 7,000 farmers across 84 villages to sustainably source our vanilla, ensuring that it’s traceable and of premium quality – year after year.
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Closest To The Source
4 Minute Video
How Crop Rotation Improves Land Conservation
1 Minute Video
Partnering with NGOs
Soil Management Training
Improving Cultivation

Creating a circle of sustainability

Creating the best possible product demands the best possible vanilla crop. That means working closely and sustainably with local farmers and partnering with NGOs to achieve this. We go beyond securing a sustainable supply chain– we help farmers and local communities improve cultivation practices that include training in crop diversification and soil management. By helping farmers maintain their plots year round and grow a wider range of crops, we can help them improve their financial security.

How Health Insurance Helps Jane’s Family
1 Minute Video
Health Insurance
Zero Interest Loans
Financial Education

Thriving together

Since 2006, we’ve shared the benefits of an integrated, sustainable supply chain with an increasing number of Malagasy farmers. We offer our partners higher incomes, greater independence, health benefits and improved education. We also support a variety of programs to protect the local environment and secure their future. We achieve this by working with a network of diverse organizations that provide expertise on the key issues to ensure sustainable farming practices, drive positive impact on farmers’ livelihoods, and protect the precious environment.

What goes into a quality bean

Location is everything when farming vanilla. Too much sunlight can ruin everything, soil moisture needs to be perfect and you need the right amount of tree coverage to provide shade for the delicate vanilla plants. Once planted it will be three years before the first flowers appear. As blossoms are only open for six hours over a flowering period of three to four months, and are best pollinated in the morning, timing is everything.

Our farmers pollinate the flowers and harvest the beans, all by hand.

Bringing the best to the world

Turning mature green vanilla beans into the highly aromatic black beans that we know and love is as skilled and complex as making wine. And like good wine-making, it relies on a blend of artisanal skill and scientific know-how that is called the wonder of curing.

For the full story visit  vanilla.symrise.com

Step 1
Partnering with farmers

We provide support and training so farmers can grow the best beans possible.

Step 2
Cultivating With Care

Farmers nurture vines, pollinate flowers, monitor bean growth and hand-pick at maturity to ensure quality.

Step 3
Ready for Transport

Once inspected, harvested beans are sealed in coded Symrise bags to preserve and protect them for travel.

Step 4
Quality Control

At Benavony, beans are inspected, sorted, measured, analyzed, and further selected for optimum quality.

Step 5
Sharing Results

Farmers receive feedback and are rewarded for the quality of their efforts.

Step 6
Curing and packaging

Beans are cured and further selected before being sent for extraction in our state-of-the-art USA facilities.

Three vanilla extract bottles with lemon, orange, and spice flavors
The Sustainable Journey
1 Minute Video