Production Process

Vanilla bean processing takes a period of 3 months from the time an order is received, to the time the order is ready to be transported to the Client/Customer.

Vanilla is harvested by the producers under the supervision of their Peer Farmer Leaders, who oversee the first stage of vanilla sorting, making sure the farmer discards poor or too short beans. The vanilla is then transported in sacks to the buying centers, and it’s bought by Rajon Vanilla Limited. At each center a clean dry sorting area is provided and covered with a tarpaulin.

After a second sorting (immature, unhealthy and undersized beans are rejected), and weighing, the vanilla is packed in bags labelled natural and transported by hired lorry to the processing plant at Rajon Vanilla Limited.

BUYING:

Buying from Farmers and subsequent handling, processing and exporting is done by Rajon Vanilla Limited in such a manner as to ensure the integrity of the natural product, to guarantee there is no contamination or co-mingling with conventional vanilla.

Vanilla Processing

Cooking is done in clean drums designated for natural vanilla.
Sweating is done in blankets designated for natural vanilla. After a period of sun-drying on reed racks, the vanilla is stored in wooden boxes for further slow curing and aroma development. The natural vanilla remains in these boxes until it is ready for export.

Finally natural beans are graded by length and quality at different times to avoid any contamination and stored in separate clearly marked boxes in different areas of the processing facility until export.

SORTING AND GRADING
Our beans are classified according to their length as follows:

Length of Beans Grade of Beans

15 cm and above I

10-15 cm II

10 cm III

Splits, cuts and damaged beans IV

KILLING
Graded beans are immersed in hot water at a temperature of 70oC for periods as indicated below:

Period of Immersion Grade of Beans

5 minutes I

4 minutes II

2 minutes III

1.5 minutes IV
SWEATING The treated beans are then transferred immediately to a wooden box lined with blanket, for sweating and kept for 36-48 hours. The temperature initially is to be 48-50oC. By then, the beans will attain light brown colour and start imparting aroma.
SUN DRYING Later on, the beans are spread in hot sun (from 12 noon to 3 pm) over wooden loft on a clean black blanket. The temperature of the bean, at this time should raise to 50oC. Later on, the bundles are transferred to the sweating box. Sun drying and sweating is continued grade-wise, as follows:

Period Grade

12-14 days I

7-10 days II

5-7 days III & IV

At the end of this period, the beans lose half of initial weight, turn to a shining dark brown colour and develop wrinkles. Also, their aroma improves.

SLOW DRYING
The next step involves the spreading of the beans in racks kept in well-ventilated room maintained around a temperature of 35oC and relative humidity of 70 per cent. The duration of slow drying is as follows:

Period of Immersion	Grade of Beans
20-35 days	I
10-20 days	II
3-10 days	III
2-8 days	IV

On completion of slow drying, the vanilla beans get heavy longitudinal wrinkles, turn lustrous with brownish black colour and become supple. They offer a soft leathery touch; can be rolled around finger easily and on release, becoming straight. The moisture content at this stage may be around 30-35 per cent.