Frequently Asked Questions

Vanilla ships by the kilogram, not the container. Our MOQ is 10 to 25 kg per grade and origin — 10 kg for gourmet Grade A lines and 25 kg for extraction Grade B and powder — scaling up to repeat pallet programmes for extract houses and distributors. Mixed-grade orders above the MOQ are welcome; contact us with your requirement.

Grade A / Gourmet Bourbon beans from Madagascar (16–18 cm and an 18–20 cm long calibre) and Uganda (15–18 cm); Grade B / Extraction beans from both origins, including a Madagascar short-and-cuts line; 100% whole-bean ground vanilla powder; and an organic Madagascar Grade A line with chain-of-custody documentation on request.

Yes — we send pre-shipment samples on request, drawn from the actual lot on offer rather than a showcase bundle. Tell us the grade, intended use and destination and we'll arrange a representative sample with its vanillin and moisture readings attached.

Standard B2B export terms — Letter of Credit (LC at sight) and Telegraphic Transfer (TT), typically structured as a deposit at contract with balance against shipping documents. For smaller kilogram orders, full TT before despatch is common. Specific terms depend on order size and buyer history.

Grade A gourmet beans are cured to 30–35% moisture with vanillin typically between 1.6 and 2.4% — supple, oily beans for culinary and premium extract use. Grade B extraction beans are drier at 20–25% moisture with vanillin from 1.8 up to 2.6% on our Uganda line. Every lot is verified by an independent laboratory before despatch, and the report ships with the documents.

Mould is the number-one quality risk in vanilla, and it is controlled in the cure, not at inspection. Our lots go through a properly run kill, disciplined sweating cycles, slow drying and patient conditioning under supervision — with beans checked and sorted at each stage.

Before packing, every lot is inspected bean-by-bean, moisture-verified, and vacuum-sealed. Buyers should still inspect on arrival; our lot-tied records let us trace any issue back to the specific curing batch.

Every lot ships with an independent vanillin and moisture lab report and a phytosanitary certificate issued at origin, and our single-origin traceability ties each lot to its growing district and curing window. For the organic Madagascar line, chain-of-custody documentation is available on request. We do not claim certifications we do not hold — tell us your programme requirements and we'll confirm what we can document.

Yes — single-origin is our default, not an upgrade. Every lot is tied to its district: Antalaha, Sambava or Vohémar in Madagascar's Sava region, or Bundibugyo and Mukono in Uganda. That traceability is how we hold calibre, moisture and vanillin consistent across repeat orders.

Beans are consolidated at origin. Madagascar lots export via Toamasina (Tamatave) port; Uganda lots route overland to Mombasa, Kenya. We quote FOB by default, with air freight available for smaller or time-sensitive orders. Our head office in Mtwara, Tanzania handles contracts and documentation — the beans themselves ship from origin.

Gourmet Grade A beans are vacuum-packed in 1 kg pouches inside export cartons; Grade B extraction beans move in 5 kg vacuum-packed cartons; powder ships in foil-lined 1 kg and 5 kg bags. Vacuum packing holds moisture stable and protects aroma through transit. We avoid temperature extremes in routing — vanilla should travel cool and dry, never refrigerated.

Commercial invoice, detailed packing list with lot numbers, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate issued at origin, the independent vanillin and moisture lab report tied to the shipped lot, and the bill of lading or air waybill. Additional destination-specific documents are arranged on request.

For lots in conditioned stock, allow 5 to 10 days from contract to despatch for packing and documentation. Air freight reaches most destinations in under a week; sea freight from Toamasina or Mombasa typically runs 25 to 40 days to Europe or the US depending on routing. We confirm lead time per order before contract.

Madagascar's green vanilla harvest runs June through September in the Sava region, and the new cure reaches export condition from roughly November to January. Uganda harvests twice a year — around December to February and again June to August — which fills the gaps in the Madagascar calendar.

Yes — cured beans are conditioned and held in controlled storage, and vacuum-packed lots keep their quality well beyond a single season. Between Madagascar's annual cure and Uganda's two harvests, we quote from conditioned stock throughout the year.

Active buyer markets include the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and the Netherlands — creameries, pastry houses, extract makers, flavour houses and gourmet distributors. We ship FOB origin to any destination; contact us with your port or airport and we'll confirm routing and lead time.

Vanilla pricing follows the cure calendar and origin supply. Prices firm when the new Madagascar cure is allocated (late in the year) and ease as volume reaches the market. Cyclone seasons in the Sava region and swings in green-bean buying competition move the market more than demand does. Serious buyers increasingly price on vanillin content per kilogram rather than headline bean price.