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White paper · Edition 2026/27

The Madagascar Vanilla Buyer's Handbook

Grades, specifications, dosage, labelling and due diligence: the decisions behind every vanilla purchase, written by a producer that cures its vanilla at its own sites in Maroantsetra, Madagascar.

  • 16 chapters for R&D, purchasing, quality and brand teams
  • Grade matrix, specification and inspection templates, labelling decision trees, due-diligence law map
  • Every figure with its source and access date
Get the handbookSee what is inside

PDF in English, French and German

What is inside

Sixteen chapters, four parts, one purchase

From the vine to the repeat order: each chapter answers one buying decision and ends with a concrete next step.

Part A Origin: from vine to cured bean

  1. Chapter 1: Vanilla in one read: five buying decisions and how to use this handbookRead by: R&D, Purchasing, Quality, Brand
  2. Chapter 2: From vine to green pod: the north-east Madagascar agroforestRead by: Purchasing, Quality, R&D, Brand
  3. Chapter 3: Twelve curing steps and the quality each one locks inRead by: Quality, Purchasing, R&D
  4. Chapter 4: Species and origins compared: why Madagascar Bourbon, and when another choice fitsRead by: R&D, Purchasing, Brand, Quality

Part B Quality: grades, specifications, testing and sampling

  1. Chapter 5: Grades decoded: from gourmet pods to spent seedsRead by: Purchasing, R&D, Quality
  2. Chapter 6: Writing a vanilla specification that holdsRead by: Quality, Purchasing
  3. Chapter 7: Sampling, incoming inspection and storageRead by: Quality, Purchasing, R&D
  4. Chapter 8: Authenticity, contaminants and food safety: what to test, when, against which limitRead by: Quality

Part C Products and formulation: formats, dosage, extraction, labelling

  1. Chapter 9: Choosing the right format: a decision tree by application, phase and processRead by: R&D, Purchasing, Brand
  2. Chapter 10: Dosage: the method behind the simulator, with starting points by applicationRead by: R&D, Purchasing
  3. Chapter 11: Extraction and folds: making or buying extract and oleoresin, and using spent vanillaRead by: R&D, Purchasing, Quality
  4. Chapter 12: Labelling vanilla in the EU and the US: what you can write on packRead by: Quality, Brand, R&D

Part D Sourcing strategy, due diligence, private label and working with Vanilla Fair

  1. Chapter 13: Market and price drivers: reading the vanilla cycle without guessingRead by: Purchasing, Brand, R&D
  2. Chapter 14: Traceability and due diligence: EUDR, CSRD, CSDDD, forced labour and certificationsRead by: Quality, Purchasing, Brand
  3. Chapter 15: Private label and OEM: from brief to shelfRead by: Brand, Purchasing, Quality
  4. Chapter 16: Working with Vanilla Fair: from request to repeat order (with annexes)Read by: Purchasing, R&D, Quality, Brand

Annexes Glossary and sources index

Who it is for

One document, four teams around the same purchase

  • R&D and formulation

    Choose a format for your process, set a starting dose, understand folds and what extraction changes on the label.

    Start with

    • Chapter 9 Choosing the right format: a decision tree by application, phase and process
    • Chapter 10 Dosage: the method behind the simulator, with starting points by application
    • Chapter 11 Extraction and folds: making or buying extract and oleoresin, and using spent vanilla

  • Purchasing

    Read grade offers, plan around the harvest calendar and choose a buying strategy with dated, sourced market context.

    Start with

    • Chapter 2 From vine to green pod: the north-east Madagascar agroforest
    • Chapter 5 Grades decoded: from gourmet pods to spent seeds
    • Chapter 13 Market and price drivers: reading the vanilla cycle without guessing

  • Quality and regulatory

    Write a specification that holds, inspect incoming lots, label for the EU and the US and answer due-diligence questionnaires.

    Start with

    • Chapter 6 Writing a vanilla specification that holds
    • Chapter 8 Authenticity, contaminants and food safety: what to test, when, against which limit
    • Chapter 12 Labelling vanilla in the EU and the US: what you can write on pack
    • Chapter 14 Traceability and due diligence: EUDR, CSRD, CSDDD, forced labour and certifications

  • Brand and private label

    Pick the species and the claims your pack can carry, then take a vanilla product from brief to shelf.

    Start with

    • Chapter 4 Species and origins compared: why Madagascar Bourbon, and when another choice fits
    • Chapter 12 Labelling vanilla in the EU and the US: what you can write on pack
    • Chapter 15 Private label and OEM: from brief to shelf

Three things buyers often miss

A preview of the handbook

  1. Due diligence

    The EU Deforestation Regulation does not list vanilla

    The regulation covers seven commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood) and products made from them, from 30 December 2026. Vanilla is not one of them, yet your ESG team will still ask for traceability and forced-labour evidence.

    In chapter 14Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, EUR-Lex (opens in a new tab) · European Commission, EUDR implementation (opens in a new tab)

  2. Species and labels

    In the United States, only two species are vanilla beans

    Under 21 CFR 169.3(a), vanilla beans are the cured pods of Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis. A pompona-based flavouring cannot become a US standardized vanilla extract: the species decision is also a labelling decision.

    In chapter 4Source: 21 CFR 169.3, eCFR (opens in a new tab)

  3. Supply risk

    One origin dominates the trade

    In 2024, Madagascar declared 4,442 t of vanilla exports, against 592 t for Uganda and 213 t for Indonesia (HS 090510). That concentration is why purchasing teams qualify a second option and plan around the harvest.

    In chapter 13Source: UN Comtrade, HS 090510, exports 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Get your copy

Receive the handbook

Tell us who you are and choose your edition: the download link appears as soon as you send the form, and a copy goes to your inbox.

  • The full PDF, edition 2026/27
  • The download link on screen and by email
  • Follow-up emails only if you tick the separate box

We use your details to send the handbook and answer you. Follow-up emails need your separate consent. privacy policy

Edition

Written by a producer

Who wrote it

2016
The year Vanilla Fair was founded, as a producer and exporter of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla
Maroantsetra
Curing at our own sites in Madagascar: the Ambaniala curing complex and Anjahamarina
France
Head office in France, with a European branch in Rennes
50 kg
Minimum order 50 kg; paste, pearls and caviar in jars within that order
Worldwide
Exports worldwide. Main markets: France, Germany, United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates

Questions

Before you download

A question the handbook does not answer?

Who is the handbook for?

For the R&D, purchasing, quality, regulatory and brand teams of food, dairy, bakery, confectionery, beverage and flavour companies that buy vanilla or plan to. Chapter 1 gives a reading path for each role.

What do I need to give you?

Your name, company and business email. Job title, business type and country are optional: they help us suggest the chapters and documents that fit. The download link appears on screen and is emailed to you.

Will you send me marketing emails?

Only if you tick the separate box, which is never ticked in advance. The handbook link is sent either way, and you can unsubscribe from follow-up emails at any time.

Which languages are available?

English, French and German, with the same content. Choose your edition in the form; you can request another one later.

Does it include Vanilla Fair prices?

No. Our catalogue is quote-only. Chapter 13 explains the market cycle with dated, sourced market reports, never with a Vanilla Fair price.

How current is it?

This is the 2026/27 edition. Regulatory and market sources were read in September 2026 and each one carries its access date: check the dates that matter before a decision.

Is it legal or regulatory advice?

No. The regulatory chapters summarise the texts with their sources. Confirm a label or a compliance decision with your regulatory counsel.