Patisserie and gourmet retail
Grade A gourmet beans — supple, oily and long, in 16 to 18 cm and an 18 to 20 cm calibre from Madagascar — bought on appearance and aroma.
Single-origin, consolidated at origin
Wholesale Vanilla Beans for Extract Houses, Bakers and Distributors
Grade A gourmet and Grade B extraction beans from Madagascar's Sava region, Uganda and the Comoros, plus whole-bean vanilla powder. Every lot is tied to its growing district and curing window and ships with an independent vanillin and moisture report.
10 kg
Minimum for Grade A gourmet
3 origins
Madagascar, Uganda, Comoros
Per lot
Vanillin and moisture report
Sea or air
Shipped from origin
A clear cardamom specification comes first
Vanilla trades by the kilogram, not the container, and it is bought on two very different measures. A patisserie or gourmet retailer wants a supple, oily, visually perfect bean. An extract house wants vanillin per kilogram and does not care how the bean looks. Afri Exports sources both and quotes them separately, because pricing one against the other wastes money on whichever you do not need.
The beans are consolidated where they are grown — the Sava region of Madagascar, Bundibugyo and Mukono in Uganda, and the Comoros — and ship from there. Contracts and documentation are handled from our head office in Mtwara, Tanzania; the vanilla itself never passes through it.
Choose the grade around what the bean has to do
Gourmet and extraction are different products. Buy the one your recipe or process actually uses.
Extract and flavour houses
Grade B extraction beans from Madagascar and Uganda, drier and bought on vanillin content rather than looks.
Industrial bakery and dry blends
Whole-bean vanilla powder with nothing added, for visible seed and a clean ingredient declaration.
Smoothing supply across the year
Ugandan Bourbon-type beans from two harvests a year, which fill the gaps between Madagascar cures.
What to put in a wholesale vanilla enquiry
A vanilla quote only means something when the grade, origin and measures are written down. Send these points and we quote against a defined lot.
- Grade — Grade A gourmet, Grade B extraction, short and cuts, or powder
- Origin — Madagascar, Uganda or Comoros — or your end use if you would like a recommendation
- Length or calibre for gourmet beans, and minimum vanillin for extraction beans
- Quantity per grade, from 10 kg for Grade A and 25 kg for Grade B and powder
- Destination and freight preference — sea for volume, air for small or urgent parcels
- Any buyer-specific tests or programme documents, including organic chain-of-custody
From enquiry to shipment
The same four checkpoints keep the sample, contract and commercial lot aligned.
1. Define the lot
We agree grade, origin, calibre or vanillin floor, quantity and the measures written into the contract.
2. Approve a sample
The sample is drawn from the actual lot on offer, not a showcase bundle, with its vanillin and moisture readings attached.
3. Confirm the lab report
An independent laboratory reports vanillin and moisture for the shipped lot, alongside the phytosanitary certificate issued at origin.
4. Pack and ship from origin
Vacuum-packed and cartoned, then shipped by sea through Toamasina or Mombasa, or by air when speed matters more than cost.
Questions buyers ask
What is the minimum order for wholesale vanilla beans?
10 kg for Grade A gourmet lines and 25 kg for Grade B extraction beans and powder, per grade and origin. Mixed-grade orders above those minimums are welcome, and repeat pallet programmes are common for extract houses.
Are Ugandan vanilla beans Bourbon vanilla?
They are the same species and are cured the same way, but Bourbon is an Indian Ocean island appellation and Uganda is on the mainland, so the trade sells Ugandan beans as Bourbon-type. We describe them that way on every quote.
Where does your vanilla ship from?
From origin. Madagascar lots export through Toamasina; Ugandan lots move overland to Mombasa; Comoros lots consolidate through regional Indian Ocean gateways. Air freight is available for smaller or time-sensitive orders.
How should vanilla be packed and shipped?
Vacuum-packed to hold moisture and aroma — 1 kg pouches for gourmet beans, 5 kg packs for extraction beans — and routed cool and dry. Vanilla should never travel refrigerated.
Get a quote built around your actual use
Send the product form, grade or end use, volume, destination port and required tests. Our export desk replies within one business day.