Vanilla

Bertrand Côme

Strong Historical Links between Vanilla and Reunion Island

Although the genus Vanilla is native to Mexico, Reunion Island can reasonably be considered its second home. Vanilla cultivation and processing have very strong links with the Reunion Island (formerly the Ile Bourbon). The vanilla plant was introduced on the island in three successive years (1819, 1820, and 1822) from Cayenne and Manila (Philibert and Perrotet) and from Mexico, by means of the Jardin des Plantes (botanical garden) in Paris (Marchant).

Grown in different parts of the island, the vanilla plants survived in the ideal climatic conditions and flowered, but failed to bear fruit (as Reunion Island lacked the pollinating insects found in Mexico). It was not until 1841 that a young slave, Edmond Albius aged 12, invented a simple and practical method for pollinating vanilla orchids, allowing vanilla cultivation to rapidly develop on the island (see Chapter 17).

With the first harvests, producers were faced with the problem of the dehiscence of Vanilla planifolia beans. Once again, they invented an ingenious method to prevent the beans from ripening, while activating the aroma production process (David de Floris in 1857). The foundation for the present-day vanilla cultivation and processing was initiated within a span of a few years.

Presently, the techniques that are used were disseminated worldwide under the impetus of the Reunionese producers, who exported their vanilla plants and know-how to the Comoros (1873) and then to Madagascar (1890).

World-Renowned Quality

At the outset, Reunion Island producers strove to produce high-quality beans that rapidly gained an excellent reputation with the consumers. This reputation, based on selecting only the best beans and following very strict production processes, was built around the designation “Bourbon vanilla” (from the former name of the colony under the monarchy) from the very first exports in 1848, and has endured ever since.

In 1964, to face competition from synthetic vanillin and ensure the promotion of the natural product, Madagascar, the Comoros, and Reunion Island met in Saint Denis to form a cartel of Indian Ocean producer countries (which represented 85% of global production at that time). Its aims were to organize production, stabilize prices by establishing country-specific import quotas, promote the product in Europe and the United States, combat counterfeiting (references on labels), and design a logo identify the natural vanilla. To finance these initiatives, a contribution of $1.5 was charged for every kilogram exported.

To clearly identify the product, the signatories agreed on a common designation, “Bourbon vanilla” (whose reputation was already largely established). The term “Bourbon vanilla,” thus, became generic and ceased to identify only Reunion Island as the origin of the product (this generated confusion for people from Reunion Island and many buyers), although its aroma differs considerably from one origin to another.

Finally, more recently, products of Indonesian origin have appeared on the world market under the designation “Bourbon-style vanilla,” but the quality of these beans is not comparable with that of Reunion Island vanilla.

Reunionese Production Reduced to a Niche Market

Owing to its high cost price, vanilla produced in Reunion Island is no longer competitive on the international market of standard vanilla. However, it remains highly prized by certain connoisseurs looking for very special products. But the term “Bourbon vanilla” is no longer enough to enable Reunionese production to distinguish itself from competition. Many retailers play on the ambiguity of this term to hide the true origin of their product and thereby mislead consumers, who often wrongly assume that “Bourbon vanilla” originates in Reunion Island. Producers have, therefore, thought about ways to clearly identify their products.

To guarantee the origin of their products, their options were either an AOC (“Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée,” i.e., a PDO: Protected Designation of Origin) or a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication).

The AOC is based far more on the concept of terroir (the assumption that the land on which a product is grown imparts a unique quality to that crop) than on the production process. Given the microclimates that exist in Reunion Island and the considerable differences in soil from one area to another, or even from one ravine to another, the AOC would have to be divided into several designations:

• An AOC for the region of Sainte Marie, Sainte Suzanne, and the hills above Saint André (nitisols, umbrisols, and andosols, between 2000 and 3000 mm of rainfall)

• An AOC for the coastal region of Saint André and Bras Panon (detrital cone of the Mât river and 2000 mm of rainfall)

• An AOC for the region of Sainte Rose and Saint Philippe (recent lava flows and between 3000 and 4500 mm of rainfall)

It would also be necessary to deal with these productions separately.

Given the low production volume at present and the resulting constraints, it seemed inappropriate to divide Reunionese production into three parts, even if the AOC is far better known by consumers than the PGI.

The PGI, a designation officially recognized throughout the European Union, provides a very precise definition of the production and processing conditions for a product, corresponding to an ancestral tradition (the concept of know-how) from a well-defined geographical area (the concept of terroir). This designation is therefore more suited to the characteristics of vanilla production in Reunion Island, and this is why the PGI was finally chosen.

The Pgi: A Preference Shared by All Reunionese Producers

The PGI approach is the result of a desire shared by all producers and processors in Reunion Island to promote their product by means of an unambiguous designation (unlike “Bourbon vanilla”). In 2000, they formed the Association pour la Valorisation de la Vanille de l’Ile de la Reunion Island (the association for the promotion of Reunion Island vanilla, A2VR), an organization to protect and manage the designation, with the aim of drawing up the specifications for labeled production and protecting the designation against any attempts at imitation or counterfeiting. The association currently includes producers (Provanille, the association of farmers from Saint Philippe), processors (UR 2) and distributors (Réunion Agricom). It remains open to all (companies and individual producers), provided the terms of the specifi-cations are met. In 2007, A2VR represented 78% of all producers in Reunion Island and 65% of the volume processed on the island.

Choosing the Designation

Vanilla originating in Reunion Island is traditionally known as “Bourbon vanilla.” However, this designation has become the common term employed for all vanilla produced in the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Comoros). Recovering the exclusive use of this term was therefore not a possibility.

A2VR thus decided to turn the page and to call its PGI production “Vanille de l’île de la Réunion” (i.e., “Vanilla from Reunion Island”). The origin thus clearly appears in the product name, and the only vanilla that is now authorized to use the geographical reference “Réunion” in its designation is that produced in Reunion Island under the PGI.

Products Covered by the PGI

The “Vanille de l’île de la Réunion” PGI applies only to vanilla beans from plants belonging to the species V. planifolia G. Jackson and currently found in Reunion Island. The by-products such as vanilla powder or extract are not covered by the PGI, nor are the beans from the hybrid plants or recently imported plants.

Among other specifications, PGI beans must meet those specifications under categories 1 and 2 of the NF ISO 5565-1 standard of March 2000, with the two other categories not applicable. The beans must be at least 14 cm long and split for no more than 3 cm. They must be whole, supple, and full, with a characteristic flavor and uniform color ranging from brown to dark chocolate brown. They may bear the producer’s mark on their lower third. They are oily, supple in texture, and malleable. Labeled beans have a maximum moisture content of 38% at sale and a vanillin content of 2% (moist-weight basis). Finally, they must undergo maturation for at least seven months in order to develop their aroma.

Defining the Geographical Production Area of the PGI

Socioeconomic Factors

The development of sugarcane farming in Reunion Island pushed vanilla back onto land that is difficult to reach or farm on the east coast—the foothills of the volcano (State forests) or edges of ravines (steep slopes). Its hardiness meant it nevertheless succeeded in adapting to these difficult conditions and thereby helped to develop woodland and fallow land and to deter plant pests. It plays an important role at the environmental level and fits perfectly into a policy of sustainable development. Farmed extensively in forest or fields, it occupies an area of around 250 ha, and creates economic activity in a region that is particularly hard hit by unemployment. It contributes to the developing social and economic life in eastern Reunion Island. These socioeconomic criteria are just as important as climate factors in the choice of the PGI area.

The PGI area, defined according to the above-mentioned criteria, thus, stretches along the whole of the east coast of the island (from Sainte Marie to Saint Joseph), up to 600 m altitude, excluding the west part of the island and the hills, which are unsuitable for traditional vanilla production (Figure 18.1). To benefit from the PGI, the beans must be produced and processed within the determined PGI area.

FIGURE 18.1 Map of Reunion Island showing in light gray the PGI area.

Proof of Origin: A Question of Traceability

To guarantee consumers the origin of the PGI product, a traceability system has been set up for every stage of bean production and processing. These elements of traceability have been collated in a table that defines the entries to be made at each stage and their supports (Table 18.1).

A plot record identifies each parcel farmed (referencing, date of plantation, etc.) and details the different operations carried out in the fi eld: looping, pruning, weeding, treatments, pollination, thinning, and harvesting.

Monitoring sheets accompany each batch of vanilla during processing, with a batch being made up of all beans harvested in one calendar week or by all beans harvested by one single producer.

• A harvesting sheet identifying the producers at the origin of the batch

• A processing sheet detailing the operations applied to each batch: killing, sweating, drying, and sorting

• A maturing sheet monitoring the aromatic development of the beans

• A storage sheet monitoring stabilized batches awaiting sale

• A conditioning sheet monitoring the packaging of beans

Finally, stock records are kept, mentioning the quantities of incoming green vanilla and outgoing black vanilla for certifiable and noncertifiable batches.

Method for Producing Vanilla under the PGI

Strict Controls to Guarantee the Product’s Certification

The PGI is held by A2VR rather than its individual members, who are only users of the designation. The association must therefore make every effort to ensure that the specifications are met and thereby protect the designation.

The different stages of production and processing are set out in the specifications. Compliance with these specifications by the producers and processors that benefit from the label is monitored at several levels. An initial internal inspection is conducted by an A2VR technician, who goes on-site to meet the producers and guarantee compliance of plots and farming practices used. The technician also inspects each processing unit, checks the processing parameters, conducts the necessary tests (vanillin and moisture content, etc.), and inspects the bean monitoring sheets (harvesting, processing, maturing, storage, and conditioning), and stock accounting. This internal inspection, carried out by A2VR, is supervised by an external inspection conducted by an official certifying organization, in this case Organisme Certificateur Tropique Réunion Océan Indien (OCTROI), which carries out spot checks on producers, examining documentation, and plantations to ensure internal inspections are conducted satisfactorily. It is the certifying organization that maintains or denies certification of PGI products depending on the results of its annual inspections.

The “Vanille de l’île de la Réunion” PGI is indisputably a tool for the protection of traditional production in Reunion Island and guarantees consumers the origin and quality of beans sold. It is therefore essential to ensuring the safeguard of Reunionese production, even though the process remains difficult to implement.

Reference

Floris, D. (de). 1857. La culture du vanillier. Lahuppe, La Réunion.