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PGI — Réunion
It was a twelve-year-old slave who, in 1841, unlocked the secret of a capricious orchid — and made La Réunion the world capital of vanille Bourbon.
Spice or condiment from Réunion, PGI (IGP) since 2021.
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Vanilla is an orchid native to Mexico whose flowers must be fertilised to turn into pods — a secret held only by Mexican pollinating insects. The vanilla plant was first introduced to La Réunion on 26 June 1819, on the island then named "Île Bourbon".
Everything changed in 1841. Edmond Albius, a young slave born on 9 August 1829 in Sainte-Suzanne — barely twelve years old at the time —, who had been introduced to horticulture by his master Ferréol Bellier Beaumont, discovered through observation and intuition a method of manual pollination: he brought the male and female organs of the vanilla flower into contact using a slender stick. This revolutionary gesture — hand pollination — is still practised today, almost identically, in vanilla plantations across the world.
Growth was meteoric: from virtually non-existent production before Edmond Albius's discovery, the island rose to around one tonne of vanilla per year between 1850 and 1860, then to nearly 15 tonnes annually over the following decade, and to 60 tonnes annually by the early 1880s — briefly making La Réunion the world's leading producer. In parallel, two producers from Saint-André, Ernest Loupy (1851) and David de Floris (1857), perfected the pod curing process — scalding, sweating in wooden crates, drying, and storage —, known ever since as the "Loupy-de Floris" method, which enabled the export of up to 100 tonnes of black vanilla to mainland France by the end of the 19th century. La Réunion's vanilla thus earned worldwide renown under the name "vanille Bourbon", in reference to the island's historical name.
The 20th century saw competition from other producing countries — Madagascar foremost among them — intensify, leading to a substantial decline in Réunionese production. Its reputation, however, remained intact: vanilla from the island of La Réunion is renowned for its unique aromatic bouquet, underpinned by a particularly high natural vanillin content attributed to the climate of the windward coast, the wettest part of the island.
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In August 2021, the European Commission granted the "Vanille de l'île de La Réunion" PGI — an officially belated recognition, yet a symbolically powerful one. With 73 certified producers accounting for an output of around 3 tonnes of cured vanilla per year, the PGI then represented 60% of total Réunionese production. It sets the geographical area — the eastern coast of the island, across the communes of Bras-Panon, Saint-André, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Philippe, Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Rose, and Sainte-Suzanne —, the preparation methods inherited from Edmond Albius (manual pollination, scalding, fermentation, drying), and the pod's organoleptic criteria.
Today, the sector revolves around approximately 224 producers cultivating nearly 330 hectares, yielding a total output of around 20 tonnes of green vanilla per year — equivalent to roughly 4 tonnes of black vanilla. Two historic organisations play a pivotal role: SCA Provanille, a cooperative based in Bras-Panon that describes itself as founded in 1968 and unites 92 producers (handling collection, processing, and technical support), and La Vanilleraie at the Domaine du Grand Hazier in Sainte-Suzanne, a private operator bringing together around thirty producers to whom it provides technical support.
Appearance
Long, fleshy pods with a chocolate-brown sheen, displaying an oily, lustrous appearance once dry (stiffer and glossier when fresh). The surface may become coated with a delicate white efflorescence of vanillin crystals: this is the "givre", unique to so-called "givrée" vanilla.
Aroma
Complex and deep, intense vanillin, woody and lightly smoky notes.
Taste
Powerful and lingering vanillin, notes of caramel and wood, pronounced length on the palate — underpinned by a particularly high natural vanillin content.
Texture
Supple pod, not brittle. The seeds (the "caviar") are abundant and deep black.
Each vanilla flower opens for just a single morning, and its fertilisation is carried out entirely by hand, flower by flower. The vanilla plant only flowers from its third year; once fertilised, the flower yields a pod that reaches its full size in six weeks, but one must wait nearly nine months before it reaches maturity and is harvested. This gesture, the direct heir to Edmond Albius's discovery, remains today one of the most painstaking stages in vanilla cultivation.
The green pods, still scentless, are harvested at maturity in the month of August, around nine months after pollination.
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Vanilla from La Réunion is used by slitting the pod lengthwise to scrape out the seeds. Ideal in crèmes brûlées, crèmes anglaises, vanilla ice creams, fine pastries, and chocolates. It pairs beautifully with La Réunion's rhums agricoles, intense dark chocolate, tropical fruits (mango, lychee, pineapple), and caramel. In savoury cooking, it elevates white meats and seafood.
Since: 2021
Area covered: East coast of La Réunion (974) — communes of Bras-Panon, Saint-André, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Philippe, Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Rose, and Sainte-Suzanne
Key requirements: Species Vanilla planifolia; mandatory manual pollination; mortification by scalding then sweating; natural fermentation and drying; organoleptic quality and vanillin content monitored by the defence and management organisation
Reference body: Association pour la Valorisation de la Vanille de l'île de La Réunion (A2VR) — INAO. More info: see the Ministère de l'Agriculture's PGI specification cited in the sources.
Co-operative
Family-run
Family-run
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Request a listingCo-operative
The co-operative describes itself as having been founded in 1968 in Bras-Panon, on the east coast of La Réunion. It brings together around one hundred vanilla growers, each holding cultivating an average of 1.7 hectares, on natural volcanic lava flows.
It offers a 40-minute guided tour to discover the journey of vanilla, from plantation to sale, and sells pods, extract, powder and vanilla cosmetic products in its shop.
| 0262 51 71 02 | |
| provanille.reunion@orange.fr | |
| provanille.fr | |
| Visits | Yes — 40-minute guided tour |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2012. |
Family-run
La Vanilleraie presents itself as the outcome of a meeting between vanilla growers passionate about their craft and the owners of Domaine du Grand Hazier in Sainte-Suzanne. The site claims 170 years of know-how and vanilla produced and processed locally. The establishment has been honoured multiple times at the Salon de l'Agriculture in Paris: gold medals in 2011, 2018 and 2019, and silver medals in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2023. It offers guided tours of the plantation as well as a direct-sales shop featuring vanilla pods and processed products.
| Address | Domaine du Grand Hazier, 2 ter All. Chassagne, Sainte-Suzanne 97441, La Réunion |
| +262 262 23 07 26 | |
| contact@lavanilleraie.com | |
| lavanilleraie.com | |
| Facebook page | |
| Visits | Yes |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2012. |
