Hawaiian Vanilla Company

Frequently Asked Questions
Why grow vanilla?
How are vanilla beans grown?
How many people pollinate your vanilla orchids at the height of the growing season?
What’s the difference between pure vanilla and imitation vanilla?
How much does pure vanilla cost?
How long does vanilla last?
What’s your favorite vanilla-inspired dish?

What Others Are Saying About Hawaiian Vanilla Company

Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Food for Thought (October 7, 2005)
American Profile - Unconventional Agriculture (October 2 - 8, 2005)
The News-Review: Vanilla orchids of Hawaii (2/1/2005)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Chef Mavro at James Beard featuring Hawaiian Vanilla (6/16/2004)
Farm and Ranch Living: The way we live (April/May 2004)
Travelvideo.TV: Culinary Ag Tourism Offered By Hawaii Entrepreneur (4/16/2004)
ABC7Chicago.com: Pan Seared Ocean Raised Moi with Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Curry (4/5/2004)
Hawaii Island Journal: It's Not Just Plain Vanilla (June 2003)
DRIVING; Hawaii's Little Chunk of Open Road - New York Times (September 6, 2002)
Hawaii Business Magazine Big Island Report (Dec 2000)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin: New industry promotes value of vanilla (08/03/2000)

Why grow vanilla?

Numerous factors affected our decision to grow vanilla along the Hamakua Coast. A few include:
Hawaii is the only state in the nation where we have the appropriate soil, temperature, humidity and climate to grow vanilla orchids. We are proud to provide our visitors with a gourmet product, with so many culinary and sensory uses, that is grown with love in the USA.
Vanilla vineyards take ¼ of the land to produce a profitable crop as 4 acres of coffee does.
There is an enormous unmatched demand for pure vanilla, both in the USA and abroad, and we wanted to tap into that market by producing a high quality gourmet product.
With the collapse of the sugar industry along this coast in the early 1990s, we wanted to explore other sustainable agricultural products that would thrive in our area and provide a replacement economy for displaced farmers. Sustainable agriculture and all of its benefits was a lifestyle decision for our family, and one we’d like to see continue to flourish for generations to come.

How are vanilla beans grown?

Vanilla beans are an edible fruit pod produced by the Vanilla Planifolia Orchid.
The Hawaiian Vanilla Company starts the majority of the plants in its vineyards by taking cuttings from mature plants. Depending on the size of the cutting (from 9 inches up to one meter), the vines can take from one to four years to produce a flower.
These delicate pale celadon-colored blossoms bloom for only one day per year, for a period of four hours. During that four-hour window, the blossom must be hand-pollinated through the “marriage of vanilla” to produce a bean. Vanilla orchids produce flowers from approximately February through May, and so we must be vigilant in our search for the elusive orchid blossoms during that season.
The bean then stays on the vine for two months to reach its mature length before it produces any seeds, and will continue to grow on the vine for another six months until the base end of the pod begins to turn yellow. The bean is then harvested, blanched and sun dried over another two to three months, then the final conditioning stage will take up to three months before it is ready to be sold.
From start to finish, it can take 5 years to produce just one vanilla bean, thus making it one of the most labor-intensive and costliest spices in the world.
Our vanilla beans are grown in our greenhouse, currently covering less than 1 acre on our farm. This summer we’ll be expanding from our single 30,000 sq. ft. greenhouse, to an additional shade houses covering more than 180,000 sq. ft. over approximately 5 acres.
We grow our vanilla vines in pots, braced by a bamboo tripod structure, and then train the vines up approximately 6 feet, looping them around an around an upper metal bar. The best visual is that of a vineyard, with rows and rows of vines growing upward then looping around and around, all the while nurturing their ripening green pods.

How many people pollinate your vanilla orchids at the height of the growing season?

Tracy and I both pollinate the orchids, along with our three oldest children – Ian (11), Emma (10) and Isaac (8). Additionally, we bring in 4-6 other pollinators during this busy period.
Tom Kadooka was my mentor and friend and he and his wife were able to pollinate up to 1,000 orchids per day in their prime, as each one only takes 10-15 seconds to pollinate. Pollination is an art form and a skill though, and one that develops over time by trial and error.
Pollination can’t be replicated by a machine. In this high-speed age, it still takes human hands, human eyes, a human mind, and a human heart to turn the science of pollination into a labor of love, that creates a product so tied to people’s memories and associations with home.

What’s the difference between pure vanilla and imitation vanilla?

The layering of flavor is the primary difference.
Imitation vanilla is a synthetic that can be created from lignin, which is a byproduct of wood pulping. Vanillin (imitation vanilla) is an ingredient that consumers who purchase “vanilla flavored” products will likely see on the ingredients list. However, vanillin also naturally occurs in many green plants, and is one of the primary compounds in pure Hawaiian Vanilla.
The real difference comes through though, in the additional 249 compounds (besides vanillin) that are melded together in a symphony of flavor to compose pure vanilla. Some of our customers have told us that you can taste the sweet Hawaiian rains and the warm Hawaiian sun in our vanilla beans and extracts.

How much does pure vanilla cost?

Vanilla beans are graded by their length.
Our beans come in two grades: Grade A, which is more than 6” long and costs $190/pound; and Grade B, which is less than 6” long and costs $175/pound. We also sell individual beans for $10, and a pack of 3 beans for $25.
Usually, the only ones buying vanilla beans in quantity are chefs at some of Hawaii’s premiere restaurants, who are creating signatures dishes – from savory roasts, to creamy desserts, featuring our beans. Most consumers don’t regularly use whole vanilla beans in their dishes, and instead purchase extracts.
We sell a 4 oz. bottle of our pure Hawaiian Vanilla extract (30% alcohol by volume) for $15.
I always tell our guests, if you’re paying anything less than $14 for 4 oz. of pure vanilla extract, I’d be willing to bet that it is not pure vanilla. Vanilla is expensive to produce everywhere in the world, and some countries don’t have the exacting standards of labeling and quality that we have here.

How long does vanilla last?

Vanilla beans and extracts, stored in a cool, dry place, are non-perishable products. In fact, you can use a single vanilla bean in a number of ways.
First, you can place it in your bottle of sugar, and let the vanilla bean infuse the sugar with its aroma and flavor. Then you can take the bean out and place it in a cream dish, to infuse the cream (ice cream, milk, etc. with the vanilla flavor). You can then dry the bean out, and reuse it; this time sliced open, and scrape the seeds into a sauce for a pork roast.

What’s your favorite vanilla-inspired dish?

I cook very few things besides pizza and breakfast, but I make a delicious roast pork loin marinated in a Hawaiian Vanilla citrus juice (orange, lemon or lime), and fennel.It’s delicious.
I also love Tracy’s salad dressings and BBQ sauces featuring vanilla. But, at the end of the day, my favorite is always a big bowl of real vanilla ice cream made from pure Hawaiian Vanilla beans.

Anyone who thinks that vanilla is “just plain vanilla” hasn’t tasted pure vanilla. It’s divine.

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