The Mexican vanilla crop has had a massive failure this year - pumping up global prices for vanilla beans. They wont go to US$500 a kilo like they did in 2003 when the Madagascan crop was wiped out by amassive storm - but they will go up.
terachaos,
Apr 4, 8:53pm
Good for Niue vanilla
cookessentials,
Apr 4, 9:21pm
I dont buy mexican, so not a problem.
makespacenow,
Apr 4, 10:10pm
same here :D
willyow,
Apr 5, 3:02am
It is a problem because it has created a shortage - bumping the prices up for ALL vanilla beans. The Neilsen Massey vanilla extract you sell. in your store is mainly Mexican vanilla - that willcost more.
cookessentials,
Apr 5, 3:24am
What doeshave to do with Neilsen Massey I sell! I dont USE Mexican vanilla or vanilla beans. The vanilla I have is Madagascan, not Mexican. It will create a shortage for those that use it. I have plenty.
willyow,
Apr 5, 5:21am
Basic economics - shortages send prices upwards! Global vanilla prices are way up
buzzy110,
Apr 5, 5:42am
I know. That is what I heard as well. Vanilla essence is a fairly common ingredient in a lot of baking. Not everyone wants to use an expensive vanilla and most, from what I can tell, are happy to use a small bottle of vanilla essence, grown who cares where, from the supermarket. I guess sales of artificial vanilla will increase as large grocery chains attempt to keep their costs down and stop stocking 'real' (or as real as can be expected) vanilla essence and only sell the imitation. Sad in a way. I hope it is only temporary.
willyow,
Apr 5, 5:54am
TheAussie-owned supermarketchains rarely stock the real thing - they sell the cheapest crap they can get with the biggest margin. You can buy better quality gourmet food products on Trademe - or you can go to specialty food stores. We are going to be hit with our imports - and guess who will have to pay! - The customer, or course!
norse_westie,
Apr 6, 2:36am
Damn. And I was starting on my Christmas presents again this month. Better get in fast and get willows supplies before the prices go up!
cookessentials,
Apr 6, 2:50am
Vanilla essence is not "grown" as the poster above says. It ischemically concocted. Vanilla Extract is the only real one.
kay141,
Apr 6, 3:02am
In January 2000, it was reported that the Mexican Vanilla crop was facing extinction with fluctuating and smaller yields . Weather patterns were creating problems too. So what has changed!
And it is interesting that this thread was started by a seller of vanilla pods.
mwood,
Apr 6, 4:20am
Hey that's good to hear - I need to buy some more vanilla pods - I infuse them in my home brew vodka and use that as Vanilla Extract
willyow,
Apr 6, 4:46am
This year their crop was wiped out!
buzzy110,
Apr 6, 4:50am
Picky. I thought you were above pointing out syntax errors. Anyway I'll correct my sentence now:
The original - ".are happy to use a small bottle of vanilla essence, grown who cares where, from the supermarket".
The grammatically corrected version for those that a poster feels are unable to fill in the gaps: .are happy to use a small bottle of vanilla essence made with vanilla grown who cares where, from the supermarket".
However, my standards, normally are no worse than your own.
Perhaps it is a case of "he who is without sin should cast the first stone". I don't think you are entitled to cast the first stone.
buzzy110,
Apr 6, 4:53am
Well obviously someone who sells vanilla pods would know this sort of stuff and therefore be in a unique position to herald the news.
lindylambchops1,
Apr 6, 4:56am
No worries I get my vanilla beans from TradeMe !LOL
olwen,
Apr 6, 5:02am
The other day I noticed vanilla essence (not extract) in the supermarket at over $6 for a small bottle.The same brand had much bigger bottles of imitation vanilla essence.Is the dearer stuff still imitation!
How funny - why not grow a few of the orchids yourself!
Then you can ferment the beans just the way you like them - instead of worrying about prices, availability, or even if this is "the real thing" or concocted out of chemicals (which all the cheap "extracts" are of course!).
norse_westie,
Apr 6, 5:22am
Mainly because NZ is not really tropical enough to grow them easily. Here is a link to an article about a family growing them successfully - however please note the expense and trouble they had to go to in order to do so:
Pretty much the average user of vanilla in NZ would be better off buying good quality beans from a reliable trader. Many of us do so and then make our own extract etc. I use mine for several things. But it would be completely uneconomical for me to try to set up to grow it myself, and quite frankly I couldn't be bothered.
norse_westie,
Apr 6, 5:26am
And more about how much work it takes to grow and harvest vanilla beans:
Sometimes they use vanillin extracted from woodpulp inCanada and put thework 'natural' on the label, or 'natural vanilla'to try to con you into thinking it is real - it tastes nothing like real vanilla extract though - horrible imho. It is sad that big brands resort to such cheap strategies, treating the consumer like suckers. Take a look on your supermarket shelves - you'll be shocked by the names of the brands that are doing this. The 'ingredients' will saynatural vanillin, not vanilla pod or vanilla bean
buzzy110,
Apr 6, 5:44am
I'll keep the last sentence in mind next time I have to buy vanilla. However that is a long way off as I bought a whole bundle of beans which are now sitting in my deep freeze. I turned one into essence. Very nice it is too.
kay141,
Apr 6, 5:45am
Even stranger. All the articles I read commented on a greatly reduced crop from India and Mexico. Nowhere did it say they were completely wiped out.
As I don't use vanilla in any form, I'm completely impartial but do find the exaggeration overdone.
willyow,
Apr 6, 6:48am
You must be very credible then if you don't use it. I only get my informationfrom growers who actually grow it.
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