The vanilla beans are taken out of the sweat boxes and placed in a sunny patio on mats for 3–4 h. Immediately afterward, the beans are returned to the sweat boxes and are covered with more clothes and straw mats to continue the sweating. This process is repeated until the vanilla beans have a moisture content of around 30%, which is usually accomplished after 11–24 cycles of sun curing/sweating, respectively, for smaller and larger fruits.
4. Conditioning
Vanilla beans that have acquired the desirable moisture content are placed in boxes or wooden racks called “camillas” for observation for 30–45 days.
5. Grading
Vanilla beans that do not manifest any problems during conditioning are sorted by size and quality according to the Mexican grading system.
Commercialization of Mexican Vanilla
Most growers in Mexico sell their uncured, green vanilla beans to middlemen or directly to curers/exporters. Despite this customary practice, many growers in Mexico are actively trying to learn to cure their own beans, and to make contracts directly with international buyers, or with Mexican curers/exporters looking to fulfill orders.
The centers of commercialization of Mexican vanilla are the cities of Papantla and Gutiérrez Zamora, both in the state of Veracruz. These cities receive green vanilla from growers and middle men from Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosi. Curers/exporters are also found in Puebla and in Oaxaca.
International Trade/Export
Mexican vanilla is imported to other countries via multinational companies. The principal brokers of Mexican vanilla are Aust Hatchman, McCormick Co., Eurovanille, Vanipro, and International Flavor and Fragrance. These companies are headquartered in the United States, Germany, France, and Canada.
There also exists a small internal market for vanilla in Mexico. This market mostly entails purchase by extract manufacturers who supply both domestic and foreign consumers.
Export Volumes
Almost all of the vanilla produced in Mexico is destined for foreign markets. However, in the last three years, most Mexican vanilla has been stored in warehouses while exporters wait until prices rise above $50 USD/kilo.
In general, Mexico exports 20–30 metric tons of cured vanilla annually. This equates to about 1% of total vanilla production worldwide. The major consumer countries of Mexican vanilla are the United States, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada. A small percent (5%) of the supply of vanilla in Mexico is used nationally to make extracts and handicrafts.
The main demand of buyers of Mexican vanilla is for high-quality beans (“extra” or “gourmet”). Lower-quality beans (“picadura”) are also purchased to make extracts.
Prices for Uncured, “Green” Vanilla
The lowest prices for Mexican “green” vanilla were recorded between the years 1984 and 1997, when curers paid less than $2.50 USD/kilo. The highest price paid for green vanilla in Mexico was in 2003, when green vanilla was sold for an average of $45 USD/kilo. Despite the high prices of 2003, green vanilla dropped dramatically in price over the following years. In 2005, green vanilla in Mexico was sold for $12 USD/kilo, and has declined further to $4 USD/kilo during the 2006 and 2007 harvests (Figure 22.4). One exception in 2007 was purchases of green vanilla beans longer than 20 cm for $12 USD/kilo by a private company new to the vanilla trade. The national vanilla growers organization (Consejo Nacional de Productores de Vainilla) also paid growers $6 USD/kilo for green vanilla in 2007.
Prices for Cured Vanilla
Prices for cured Mexican vanilla are set by the international market, and in particular reflect prices offered in Madagascar. The highest prices paid for Mexican vanilla occurred between the years 2001 and 2004, peaking in 2004 at an average of $420 USD/kilo, and a maximum of $600 USD/kilo. In 2005, the price had declined over 60% to $120 USD/kilo. Since 2005, small quantities of high-grade vanilla (“extra” or “gourmet”) were sold for a maximum of $60 USD/kilo (Figure 22.4).
FIGURE 22.4 History of average prices of green and cured vanilla in Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico.
Grading System for Mexican Vanilla
Cured vanilla in Mexico is first classified into three categories: whole (“enteras”), open/split (“rajada”), and chopped/inferior (“picadura”). The “picadura” beans correspond to parts of beans that may have come from immature fruits, or that were damaged or poorly cured. The prices for cured vanilla in Mexico are customarily organized into these three categories.
For whole and split beans, a grading system of five subcategories has been established:
“EXTRA”: Beans are thick, flexible, lustrous, dark brown/chocolate color (“achocolatado”), sweet/delicate aroma, and with a vanillin content >2.5%. “SUPERIOR”: Similar to “extra,” but are less thick and lustrous, with a vanil-lin content of 2.25–2.29%.
“BUENA”: Beans that are more or less lustrous and flexible, odorous, dark brown with red coloring in longitudinal grooves, and with a vanillin content of 2–2.24%.
“MEDIANA”: Beans with little flexibility/sheen, weak aroma, mixed dark/ light brown, with a vanillin content of 1.75–1.99%.
“ORDINARIA”: Beans are hard/brittle, not shiny, weak aroma, color mostly light brown with darkened edges, and with a vanillin content of 1.5–1.74%.
In practice, Mexican vanilla may be sold according to other grading systems set by the buyer, usually “gourmet,” “splits,” and so on.
Packaging of Mexican Vanilla
Mexican vanilla was traditionally packaged and distributed in bulk in wax paper and cardboard boxes. Occasionally, high-quality beans (“extra/gourmet”) were sold in rolls called “mazos” and distributed in tins. In recent years, due to buyer demand, cured vanilla is now distributed in vacuum packaging in 1 kilo plastic bags.
Flavor Profile of Mexican Vanilla
The aroma of Mexican vanilla is described as intense, sweet, lightly spicy, and similar to tobacco. The content of the major aromatic compound of vanilla, vanillin, is generally around 2% in Mexican vanilla, but has been found to be as high as 7% (Black, 2005).
Although vanillin content is of principal importance to manufacturers looking to ensure uniform flavor for a mass market, the authentic aroma of vanilla is due to the presence of hundreds of other compounds found in small quantities that develop in cured beans. In Mexican vanilla, 65 volatile compounds have been identified, with acids and phenols figuring prominently (Pérez Silva et al. 2006). Eleven compounds have been found to be unique to Mexican vanilla: hexanoic acid, vanillyl methyl ketone, methyl eicosanoate, 4-butoxy-3-methyl-2-butanone, methoxymethyl acetate, 4-hexen-1-ol acetate, 3-ethyl-3-methylpentane, 2,4-dimethyl-1-heptanol, 4-methylene-2- oxethanone, 2-methyl-3-ethylpentane, and 2-ethyl-1,3-dioxolane (Hartman, 2003).
The niche market that persists for Mexican vanilla may in large part be due to the unique aroma/compounds that develop during the curing process that is utilized solely in Mexico.
Perspective on Mexican Vanilla
The interest and motivation to produce vanilla in Mexico depends strongly on price. When the international market is favorable, growers in Mexico respond accordingly and organize their labor, and improve the care/maintenance of their plantings, as in the years 2000–2004. When prices fall, growers quickly lose interest and abandon their efforts as is the case currently. This price variable and the international demand for vanilla will continue to be the prime determinants for what visage vanilla production in Mexico will assume.