After his death, the discovery of Edmond Albius (his full name as a free man and citizen) shook the world vanilla market. Few parts of the world have felt the impact like Mexico’s coastal region of Veracruz, where most vanilla was produced before the discovery of hand pollination.
At the time of the Reunion eureka, Mexican growers still relied on local bees to pollinate the flowers. When the global market was swallowed up by vanilla from elsewhere – first from Réunion, then from Madagascar, Indonesia and other countries – the local industry was unable to compete. Today, Mexican production represents only 5% of the natural vanilla bean trade.
The industry was further complicated by the development of artificial vanilla in the late 1800s, which now supplies most of the market. Only 1% of the market is served by natural vanilla, which can fetch attractive prices. In 2018 it hit a record high of £445 per kg, making it more valuable by weight than silver.
Natural vanilla traders – even in Mexico – have adopted the hand pollination method, which is far more reliable than waiting for natural pollinators. In fact, every vanilla plant grown in the world is now hand-pollinated, making the task extremely labor-intensive.
“The flowers can open within a month, but each one only opens for a few hours a day. So every day you have to go through the fields to pollinate them by hand. It’s extraordinary,” he said. declared Menchaca Garcia. “Every time I see a vanilla bean, I say to myself, ‘That’s a handmade product’.”
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