India
Vanilla
Farm Locations
We work closely with farmer partners in the following regions of India while incorporating principles of food traceability. This involves keeping all the lots separate right from the start from when it is procured and all the way until it is processed and packaged.
What you get to experience with The Sabor Co. is single-origin spices at an individual farm level in most cases.
Idukki District, Kerala, India
The Sabor Co. has developed a relationship with a group of marginal farmers based in the Idduki District of Kerala for procuring our supplies of Vanilla.
The vanilla beans are then further processed or cured into beans by a farmer producer organisation or vanilla processor based in Kochi, Kerala India.
Harvesting Season
In southern states of India where vanilla is grown, the harvesting of vanilla beans starts in September and can go on till the end of the year depending on the speed at which the beans ripen.
Varieties of Indian Vanilla
Majority of vanilla being grown in India is the Vanilla Planifolia variety, also known as Mexican vanilla. Indian vanilla has similar flavour notes to the Madagascan vanilla.
Indian vanilla beans are considered to be superior in quality and are slowly becoming quite popular across the world.
With the world prices of vanilla being higher in recent years, more and more farmers across the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are choosing to cultivate vanilla on a commercial scale.
Grades of Indian Vanilla
Vanilla beans are graded based on their length, moisture level, and appearance of the bean.
Grade A also known as gourmet, premium, or prime beans, carry a moisture content of 25 to 30%.
They appear more oily and plumpy and carry more of the seeds and the pulp.
This grade is recommended for cooking given its high moisture content allows the flavour to be transferred to dishes more easily.
Grade B on the other hand has much lesser moisture content and is usually used for flavour extraction purposes thus giving it the name extraction grade vanilla beans.
Extraction grade or Grade B beans appear dry and limp as compared to Grade A beans and also are smaller in length.
| Grade | Length | Moisture Content | Appearance & Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 15 cm | 30-35% | Moist, Plump, Rich & Dark Brown |
| B | 10-12 cm | 12-25% | Drier, Thinner & Reddish Brown |
* The specifications provided above are approximate only and may vary based on the lot.