Vanilla Pod & Bean

            

Harvesting vanilla isn’t just grabbing a bean and calling it a day — it takes some skill.

Step 1: Look for Ripe Beans

Every day, farmers check the plants for:

• Yellowy-brown color

• Shiny, oily look

• Squishy but not mushy feel

• That amazing vanilla smell

Step 2: Pick Them by Hand

 Every bean is picked by hand. You have to be super gentle so they don’t split. Any messed-up ones go in a separate pile.

Step 3: Sort Them 

Once picked, the beans get sorted:

• Grade A = perfect ( sold as vanilla pods)

• Grade B = a few small issues (used in extracts)

• Grade C = not great (also used in extracts and powders)

Step 4: Curing = Flavour

They don’t taste like vanilla right away! Farmers dry and cure them for months. They massage them, check the temperature, and let the flavour slowly build. It’s kind of like ageing cheese or drying chorizo — it makes the flavour awesome.

Why This Even Matters

If you want really good vanilla, it all comes down to:

• Picking at the right time

• Taking your time to do it right

Our farmers have been doing this for generations, and they’re seriously good at it.

Vanilla Grows in Uganda?!

Yep! Vanilla's been growing in Uganda since around the 1940s when some vines came from Madagascar. Uganda has the perfect weather and soil,  warm, rainy, and volcanic.

By the 1950s–70s, Uganda was one of the top vanilla spots in the world. Most of it was grown by small farmers, not big enterprises.

Why it worked:

• Great weather

• Smart farmers

• Everyone wanted vanilla

• The government helped, too

It helped a lot of families earn money and improve their lives.

 Final Thought 

Next time you're eating vanilla ice cream or a cookie, remember:
That vanilla flavour came from a bean that was handpicked, massaged, and cured for months by super-skilled farmers. So buy yours at  Vanilla Pod & Bean to support the farmers who do this great job!

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