Beyond the morning commute lattes and heatwave-induced iced coffees, it was easy for us to forget vanilla had a bigger backstory than our favourite beverages. Luckily, Creative Buyer, Anya Dale gave us the full picture Safe to say, it's bean quite the journey.
“I want to speak about the social impact of growing vanilla in Uganda” says Anya Dale, creative buyer at Lush. “For many years, conversations around vanilla focused heavily on the trade challenges and instability the sector has experienced and is likely to experience again. I think it’s equally important to address the positive aspects of vanilla production.”
Anya sources natural extracts and aromatic compounds for Lush – all those wonderfully scented ingredients that make up the iconic fragrances of our products.
Whenever possible, she visits suppliers in person, as there’s nothing better than direct, authentic contact for building lasting relationships. In spring 2023, she travelled to Uganda to meet the farmers, cooperatives, and curing facilities connected to the vanilla we source.
“One of the most memorable moments”, she recalls, “was sitting beneath the trees with farmers, sharing stories and learning about the patience and care that vanilla cultivation requires. When it rained, it really poured, and afterwards the air carried a freshness difficult to describe: earthy, green, humid, and clean all at once. The scent of wet leaves, bark, and soil mixed with the soft sweetness of the curing vanilla beans created a calming and almost meditative atmosphere.”
Behind every single vanilla bean, a careful human touch
Vanilla is so popular and familiar these days, whether in cakes, ice cream, or shower gels, that we can overlook the remarkable, delicate work its production requires. What makes it so precious (and expensive) is the extraordinary amount of human care involved in its production. It’s no wonder that it’s one of the most expensive spices in the world after saffron. It’s much more than just a crop; it’s a true craft.
In Mexico, the orchid’s native habitat, Vanilla planifolia flowers coexist with their pollinator, a very rare bee called “melipona”. Only pollination can make the vanilla orchid produce a bean that can eventually be cured into an aromatic spice. Once humans figured out how to reproduce this pollination themselves, the vines could be exported to other regions that lacked the special bee.
A fortunate discovery, but much more complex than it seems: vanilla flowers only bloom for a day, and that’s when the pollination must occur. During the flowering season, farmers must therefore carefully scrutinise each vine to spot open flowers, then pollinate them by hand, one by one. It is a precise and repetitive task that demands great patience and constant attention.
Anya recalls: “I tried hand pollination alongside farmers, a delicate and highly skilled process. The flower is intricate, so you have to use a small pin or carved stick to gently lift the rostellum, which is the flap separating the male and female parts of the flower, before carefully pressing them together by hand. Timing is critical: if heavy rain follows pollination, the pod may never develop. Even under ideal conditions, pollination success averages around 70%.”
Once successfully pollinated, long green pods develop from the orchids. They are harvested individually after about 9 months, at the perfect stage of maturity. They then go through a long and complex curing process involving blanching, sweating, drying, conditioning, and careful sorting. This process can take several more months and is essential in developing vanilla’s rich aroma and deep flavour.
Far from Mexico: the Ugandan vanilla
On top of such delicate and precise pollination, the vanilla orchid requires very specific growing conditions: warmth, humidity, filtered sunlight, and plenty of shade. Instead of growing in open fields, it thrives in biodiverse environments where vines can climb trees and develop slowly over time.
This is why it is grown in only a handful of countries with tropical climates. Madagascar accounts for around 80% of global production, followed by Indonesia, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, India, Uganda, and Mexico. Very small quantities are also grown in a few other countries.
There are three major species: V. planifolia (sometimes called bourbon), V. tahitensis and V. pompona. At Lush, we use planifolia vanilla beans sourced from producers in Uganda and Tanzania, working with partners who place a strong emphasis on building long-term relationships with farmers and supporting local communities. When needed, we also source vanilla absolute produced from beans grown in Madagascar through trusted supply partners.
Uganda started investing in vanilla production in earnest in the mid-1990s through a USAID project. It is estimated that the country produced up to 400 tons in its best years, significantly benefiting its growers.
Unfortunately, with market fluctuations and variable crop yields, growing vanilla can be a bit of a gamble. But when conditions are good, it can be truly life-changing for many farmers, creating new opportunities and bringing meaningful improvements to their livelihoods and daily lives.
Our suppliers work closely with cooperatives and social enterprises that support vanilla growers across Uganda. They encourage farmers to cultivate vanilla within agroforestry systems, growing it alongside crops such as coffee, cocoa, and bananas to help support biodiversity and create more resilient farming landscapes.
Stronger together: Cooperatives in Western Uganda
One of our Ugandan suppliers is a curing facility. In practical terms, this means they buy green vanilla beans from farmers and then process them, using their own methods, into the fragrant, dark brown beans that Lush purchases. The green beans come from a union of farmers’ cooperatives representing 13 primary cooperative societies across the region, including the districts of Kasese, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo. This union has over 2,500 members who cultivate, among other things, vanilla, cocoa, and coffee. It was in the majestic setting of the Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon, that Anya met some of these members.
“During shortage years, vanilla prices go so high that the threat of smuggling is very real; some farmers even have to sleep with their crops to protect them. So, I thought they would be reluctant to show us their production,” Anya explains, “but it was quite the opposite; they welcomed us very warmly, proud of their plantations and practices.”
While visiting the farms, she felt very privileged to be there: “We were surrounded by deep green vegetation and rich red soil. Everything felt incredibly alive. The vanilla vines twisted naturally around tree trunks, climbing upwards through the shade. I could see where farmers had carefully tied the vines for support, guiding them as they grew. I was told stories about vanilla vines that had “run away”, climbing so high into the trees that farmers could no longer reach the flowers to pollinate them.”
The cooperative was originally formed by vanilla-growing communities seeking better market access and fairer prices for their crops. Established in 2005 and officially registered as a union in 2014, it supports farmers through training, improved production and quality practices, and access to wider international markets. The union is Fair Trade certified, and some member groups also hold organic certifications.
Smallholders, big value
Another of our vanilla suppliers operates as a social enterprise, working with smallholder farmers across Tanzania and Uganda. Originally established to help farmers diversify their income through high-value crops such as vanilla, the project began in 2011 with just a small number of vanilla vines distributed to encourage planting.
Since then, the network has grown significantly and now works with more than 6,500 registered smallholder farmers across both countries. They promote agroforestry systems by encouraging the planting of shade trees and the creation of diverse mixed-crop landscapes.
Agroforestry is a farming method that creates systems around trees, where each plant benefits from the others. Vanilla, for example, benefits from the trunks and shade of fruit trees, while the trees themselves benefit from the coolness provided by the vanilla’s leafy coverage. These forest landscapes help mitigate the impacts of climate change while supporting both local communities and East Africa’s biodiversity.
Last stop: France
Unless it’s in powder form, the vanilla we purchase needs to make one last stop before it reaches our manufacturing sites in Poole, Dorset. The beans are shipped to Grasse in France, where they are transformed into an absolute by our partner.
After being mixed with a solvent and “washed” with ethanol, the carefully hand-pollinated, grown and cured Ugandan and Tanzanian beans yield a thick, dark-brown extract. This extract is the irresistible and deliciously fragrant absolute we love to use at Lush for its depth, warmth, sweetness, and comfort.
Thanks for sharing this Anya! 🙌🏻