PRODUCING VANILLA IS A REAL LABOUR OF LOVE, BUT IN SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE, THE TEAM AT VANILHA ARE GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS PRECIOUS CROP. WORDS: JEZ FREDENBURGH & RACHEL LAIDLER
Originating from Mexico’s rainforests and once picked by the Aztecs to flavour their cocoa, vanilla is today the most used flavouring in the world and second most expensive spice after saffron. It’s also an exceptionally labour-intensive crop, and highly liable to fail.
On São Tomé and Príncipe, a tiny island nation offthe coast of Gabon, this challenge has brought together two Europeans and a group of local farmers, who are determined to make vanilla growing less risky and bring much-needed income to the islands.
Located on the Equator — where vanilla likes it best — São Tomé’s rich volcanic soils produce pods with a distinctly nutty, caramel aroma, which are subtler and more floral than Madagascan vanilla pods and lend themselves to both sweet and savoury dishes.
Vanilha, a company set up by Italian businessman Francesco Mai and French development student Juliette Dohar, is working with 30 local farmers to utilise their generational knowledge of growing vanilla, while using high-tech monitoring equipment to hone techniques and improve the chances of crop success. Since it launched in 2019, the business has grown steadily, and the company now produces and exports vanilla pods, vanilla essence and vanilla rum.
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