Small Batch Vanilla Paste from Vanilla Bean Project (Woman-owned)

About Vanilla Bean Project

Historically, Madagascar grows about 80% of the world’s vanilla bean crop and is known as the center of the vanilla-universe. Yet, Madagascar remains one of the most impoverished countries in the world with the vast majority of the population employed in agriculture. In 2018, the price of vanilla beans surpassed the price of an equal weight of silver. That gets us back to the people and purpose of the Vanilla Bean Project and how we move forward together. All Madagascar origin vanilla beans in Vanilla Bean Project’s certified organic products are traceable to the village level. When our vanilla beans originate from a member-owned cooperative in Madagascar, the full value of our direct-trade purchase is shared by people, families, and communities forming the cooperative.

The purpose of The Vanilla Bean Project is to provide a better option for vanilla, similar to imported fair-trade coffee or slavery-free cocoa. Vanilla extract is already in your pantry. Only a handful of large successful companies process vanilla extract, many have been in business over a hundred years and control retail market share like oligopolies. They learned how to make a commercial vanilla extract from out of print books (a similar pathway pioneered by Ben & Jerry’s). Vanilla Bean Project offers a new forward direction to bring people along by doing better than the old ways of the vanilla business. Join the project. Together, we will make a long term impact in the vanilla market to do better by people and our planet.