In wretched poverty, abandoned by all, Albius died in Sainte-Suzanne on August 9, 1880 (Lucas, 1990).
The Curing: The Reunionese Process
After naturalization and manual pollination, the Reunionese know-how was harnessed for the transformation of the vanilla pod. In fact, when it is picked, the pod is odorless. It is only after a long preparation, taking about several months, that its transformation takes place.
It acquires thereafter a dark chocolate tint and the delicious sweet fragrance, which is much appreciated.If numerous methods of pod preparation exist in the warm regions of Central America, they may be summarized into two main types—direct and indirect preparation. The first process allows the natural ripening of the pod by leaving it exposed alternately in the sunshine and in the shade. The second process aims at stopping the pod’s natural evolution. It is said that the vanilla “is killed.” Mexicans used both methods (Bourriquet, 1954). In Reunion Island, vanilla was prepared by desiccation in the shade and in the sun. But in the early part of the nineteenth century, these processes developed poor products, which could not withstand the long voyage by ship. And Reunion had heady ambitions for vanilla. This is why dedicated and creative planters tried to aim at excellence (Delteil, 1884).
In 1851, Ernest Loupy, an attorney by trade, a planter by family tradition, and animated by a keen sense of learned curiosity, decided to test a new method—the blanching in hot water, which he found in the Encyclopédie méthodique (1787 edition). The results were conclusive. The “boiling-water” process was born.
David de Floris, a retired navy official and a planter in Saint André improved on Loupy’s process (Floris 1857). Vanilla was far from being something novel for him, and he was not indifferent to the high expectations which it conjured. It was de Floris himself who captained the vessel bringing Marchant’s samples in 1822. The new process devised by the two planters of Saint-André, with pods picked at full maturity from healthy plants, gave excellent results. In 1857, de Floris edited a handbook on vanilla preparation, the first ever Reunionese handbook! The book met with large success and brought the process to the attention of one and all (Figure 17.5).
FIGURE 17.5 Drying and conditioning of vanilla beans in Reunion Island at the beginning of the twentieth century. (Post card from author’s personal collection.)
Conquering the World
If seven years after Edmond’s discovery, Reunion exported its first vanilla production (about 50 kg), exports simply rocketed after the innovation brought about by Loupy and de Floris. From 267 kg in 1853, exports reached more than 3 tons in 1858 and 15 tons in less than five years later. At the end of the nineteenth century, vanilla was almost as lucrative as sugar. Never before, in the economic history of Reunion Island, a commodity had such a meteoric development and generated so much wealth (Figure 17.6). The 1867 and 1900 “Expositions Universelles” (International commercial fairs) established the success of Reunion vanilla. Local planters and curers carried off numerous prizes (Lucas, 1990).
FIGURE 17.6 Vanilla curing in Reunion Island. (Post card from author’s personal collection.)
For Marius and Ary Leblond, the famous local novelists, Creole civilization may be equated with vanilla. Summoning history, geography, and sensuality, the two authors waxed lyricaclass="underline" “You have all heard about Reunion’s vanilla which won the first prize at so many international fairs, no one can imagine how moving and lovely its manufacturing by skilful handiwork proves to be. Some words are sweet-scented spoonfuls of perfumes and souls. The words vanilla and vanilla-factory enable us to imagine and even to feel Saint-Joseph, Vincendo, Langevin, all those quaint hamlets with blessed names, cherishing like an innocent incense the fragrance of vanilla to bid us the sweetest of welcomes” (Leblond, 1931).
Confident in their craft, crowned with laurels awarded in numerous national and international events, the Reunionese were filled with self-confidence at the turn of the century (Figure 17.7). With great plans of success, they set out to conquer the Indian Ocean islands with their perfumed trunks of vanilla. In 1866, they introduced vanilla in Seychelles, which met with lightning success. In less than 10 years, it became the archipelago’s main source of prosperity; at the dawn of the twentieth century, Seychelles’ exports were almost equal to that of Reunion.
FIGURE 17.7 Vanilla exporters at the beginning of the twentieth century. (Post card from author’s personal collection.)
In 1873, the Reunionese moved on with their vanilla dreams to the Comoros. It was first introduced in Mayotte before spilling to the other three islands. As in Seychelles, it was so successful that it soon replaced sugarcane in the first decade of the twentieth century. Comoro’s production before long toppled that of Reunion. An identical script was played in Madagascar where some Reunionese brought vanilla in 1880 to the Nosy Be islet before overrunning the north-west of Madagascar’s mainland. Reunionese vanilla thrived in a favorable environment.
And a spectacular rush for vanilla was triggered off. Everyone wanted to produce it. Reunionese colonists and Malagasy peasants started vanilla on every bit of available land; and land was plentiful. In 1929, Madagascar exported 1032 tons and became the number one world producer. It still holds this rank until today (Lucas, 1990).
The pollination problem solved, the vanilla preparation mastered, new territories cultivated, the planters headed by Reunionese set out henceforth to settle a new challenge—the reform of the vanilla economy. In 1964, the Indian Ocean vanilla producers, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles, and Comoro agreed to form an organization. The major objectives were: promoting a quality product, stabilizing the market, and focusing a common policy. A label was created: Bourbon vanilla, thus, paying international tribute to Reunion’s pioneering technological breakthroughs: those of Albius, Loupy, de Floris, and many others.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Reunion received the first vanilla saplings from faraway resorts, she greeted them ungrudgingly. The inhabitants did not just welcome another beautiful orchid to a land of beaches and blooms. Similar to a fairy tale of rags-to-riches, the Reunionese have turned a plain flowering bean plant into a world asset.
References
Billiard, A. 1822. Voyage aux Indes orientales. Le Dantu, Paris.
Bourriquet, G. 1954. Le vanillier et la vanille dans le monde. Lechevallier, Paris.
Delteil, A. 1884. La vanille, sa culture, sa préparation. Challamel, Paris.
Floris, D. (de). 1857. La culture du vanillier. Lahuppe, La Réunion.
Focard, V. 1862. L’introduction et la fécondation du vanillier à l’île Bourbon. Bulletin des Sciences et Arts, 222–235.
Leblond, M.A. 1931. L’île enchantée. Librairie de la Revue Française, Paris.
Lucas, R. 1990. La Réunion, Ile de vanille. Océan-Editions, La Réunion.
Lucas, R. and Serviable, M. 2008. Commandants et gouverneurs de l’Ile de la Réunion.