For extract and flavour producers
Vanilla specified the way an extractor actually buys it
You are not buying beans, you are buying vanillin and dry matter with a delivery date attached. Everything below is written on that basis.
The three things that decide your cost
Most vanilla offers are compared on the wrong number. For an extraction buyer, three figures determine what a lot is actually worth, and only one of them is the price.
1. Moisture, because you pay for water
A kilogram at 30 % moisture contains 700 g of bean. At 18 %, it contains 820 g. Same invoice line, 17 % more material. Converting both offers to a price per kilogram of dry matter reorders the ranking more often than not.
The conversion, with a worked example →
2. Vanillin, measured rather than claimed
Vanillin should be reported on a dry basis, by HPLC, with a lot reference and an analysis date. A figure without those four elements is marketing. And a figure far above what the rest of the market specifies for the same grade deserves the report rather than enthusiasm.
3. Consistency across lots, which is the real problem
A single good lot is easy. Reproducing it next quarter is what determines whether you have to reformulate. Vanilla is an agricultural product cured by hand over months, so variation is inherent — the question is whether your supplier tells you about it in advance or lets you discover it at goods-in.
We agree a target range with you and flag a lot that falls outside it. That occasionally costs us an order. It is the whole point of being paid on repeat business rather than on the first shipment.
What we supply for extraction
How a first order usually goes
- You send your target specification — grade, vanillin range, moisture ceiling, volume, destination and incoterm. If you do not have one yet, the buyers guide is written to get you there.
- We come back within 48 hours with what our partner can actually supply against it, at what price, with what lead time — including when the answer is that we cannot match part of it.
- Sample from the lot in question, not from a reference batch. Ask explicitly for this with any supplier; the two are not the same thing.
- Order, with a payment structure proportionate to the value. For a first order with any new counterparty, a pre-shipment inspection is worth its cost — ours included.
Common questions
Do you supply extraction-grade vanilla in bulk?
Yes. Grade B extraction beans and cuts are our main volume, sourced from the SAVA region of Madagascar through a single partner exporter.
Can you supply the same specification on repeat orders?
Within a target range, yes, and we tell you when a lot falls outside it. Guaranteeing an exact figure on an agricultural product cured by hand would be a promise nobody can keep.
What documents do you provide with a shipment?
Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, microbiological analysis and a vanillin content sheet, each carrying the lot reference. If your QA team needs something specific, ask before the order rather than after.
Do you sell spent beans?
Yes, and we will also buy back or place your own spent beans if the volume justifies it. Extractors routinely discard a by-product that still has a market.