Cooperative

Cooperative Training

Dago Vanilla Cooperative is responsible for educating, training, and informing our farmers on good agricultural practice, adoption of environmentally friendly practices, organic and fair-trade certification, farm economic sustainability or sustainable supply of vanilla and other product plantation or beekeeping to diversify the activities, risk distribution especially with vanilla smallholder. We educate and inform our members through visiting the plantation with experts and sharing the requirements of different standards. We keep the members educated and trained through town hall type meetings, the importance of everyone’s role on security of our commune.

Cooperative Plantation

Good Agricultural Practices is implemented among our cooperative members for the safe and sustainable production of vanilla mainly but also other plantation. Our products are natural with no use of any pesticides, non-GMO. Our vanilla is produced in systems with diverse agroforests.

Each Step explanation

Blanching/dipping/scalding

Scalding consists of immersing the green pods in a container of water heated to 65°C for 2.5-3 minutes depending on the size of the vanilla. To do this, we place them in a basket which we gradually lower into the container of water.
The experience of the preparer is essential in this step because the soaking time varies depending on the size and quality of the pods. It is not a question of cooking the vanilla pods, but only of killing the pods to prevent them from opening later. This step converts glucovanillin to vanillin

Steaming

As soon as the scalding is finished, the vanilla pods are drained quickly then placed while still hot in wooden boxes lined with blankets. The boxes are then covered with blankets to limit heat loss. The vanilla pods will then stay in the boxes for between 18-48 hours. This step will then trigger the enzymatic reactions, and the vanilla is said to “sweat”.
It is at this stage that the vanilla takes on its chocolate color, the catalysis of fermentation allowing the further development of the characteristic vanilla flavor.

Sun drying

The pods are then spread on clove sack and exposed to the sun between 2-4 weeks for at least 3 hours per day. Every day the pods are collected with their cover and stored in wooden boxes for the night.
Gradually, the pods will lose their water and soften. We will then sort and remove the pods which have completed the first drying stage.

Shade drying

The shade drying follow to prevent the pods from drying out too quickly. Too much sun can over-dry the beans and considerably decrease vanillin content, leading to cuts.
The vanilla pods are then placed on racks in a shaded and ventilated room. They will then remain there between 1-2 months and the chemical and enzymatic reactions continue to develop during this slow drying process. The water content in vanilla will be around 35%.