On a recent visit to the Vanillerie, I met up with founder Guy Collier’s wife Jeannie who was excited to show me some of the additions to their operation as well as a lovely holiday display of vanilla products.
Guy opened the Vanillerie in 2016 to share his interest in growing vanilla in Hawaii with the public. The staff continue to offer tours five days a week where visitors can see the vanilla plants growing in three large shade houses. The tours also include a demonstration of the hand pollination process of the vanilla orchid and the resulting beans growing on the vines. The tour then visits the production facility where vanilla beans are sweated and cured. The final stop is in the shop where members of the tour are offered homemade cream flavored with The Vanillerie’s Hawaiian vanilla that they can savor while perusing the latest vanilla products that are attractively displayed.
At the Vanillerie, most of the vines are Vanilla planifolia which is native to Central America but is now grown in many tropical locales including Hawaii. Guy has also added a few Tahitian vanilla plants to his collection. He is hoping to grow more and offer the floral notes of the ‘Tahitensis’ variety to his products.
I actually was delighted to see the new vanilla plants filling the fourth shade house. All of the young vines are growing on tall columns of hardware cloth that are shaded by an overstory of hau trees. The shade house is now equipped with picnic tables for seating and a video screen used to educate visitors about the vanilla making process. A new addition to this house is an attractive bamboo photo booth suitable for picture taking by visitors.
Once vanilla beans form, they remain on the vine until they mature. When they begin to turn yellow, they are harvested and the lengthy curing process starts. This includes about two weeks of sunning and sweating before the final curing step that can take several months.
As I visited the expanded curing house, I noted the new cloth wraps for the beans. The farm manager Hayden McCloskey explained that they have replaced the plastic wrap they formerly used with cloth for several reasons. According to Hayden, the cloth is more porous and allows for more air circulation during the process. The sweating and sunning process goes on for several weeks before the beans are dried and cured in a humidity-controlled room. After about nine months, the result is a flexible, dark brown pod with a strong vanilla aroma.
Once the beans are fully cured, they can be used in many ways. Hayden showed me one of their gallon jars in which they are making vanilla extract. They add a pound of cured beans to a gallon of alcohol, which is usually flavor-free vodka.
The jar needs to be inspected periodically to be sure the process is going favorably. After five years, they will decant small bottles of pure Hawaiian vanilla to sell in the shop. These will have an alcohol content of 40% which translates to 20 proof.
Part of my visit to the shop was enhanced by an explanation of the different kinds of vanilla grown around the world and the flavor profile of each.
Heyden was quick to remind me that one of the important elements in the flavor of vanilla is the terroir.
She explained, “The terroir refers to the growing conditions of the vines. It includes the soil as well as the climate.”
Hawaiian vanilla has a sweeter profile than others grown around the world. Madagascar vanilla is known for its rich buttery flavor, while the Tahitian is very carefully grown to produce a more floral flavor. She described Mexican grown vanilla as having a rather smokey flavor.
Inside the shop I saw lots of new products displayed on mango slab tables designed and finished by Jeannie. Their vanilla coffee grill rub is one of the most popular items in the shop with many reported uses. Also new to their line of products is the vanilla salt grinder with salt sourced from the Kona Salt Farm. The lovely flavor of vanilla adds an interesting note to ground salt.
Jeannie and her administrative assistant, Kim Parkes, talked excitedly about the butterfly exhibit they are planning to add. It was Guy’s vision to add the butterflies to enhance the guest’s experience at the Vanillerie. It will be added as a joint effort of the staff.
Jeannie explained, “We want to include monarch butterflies as part of the exhibit here so I bought some milkweed plants that already had monarch caterpillars on them.”
Milkweed is the favorite food of the monarch caterpillars and once they have eaten lots of milkweed, they will pupate into a light green chrysalis from which a monarch butterfly will emerge in a few weeks. I look forward to visiting again once the monarchs are in place.
If you are considering growing vanilla in your garden, a visit to the Vanillerie can offer ideas for ways to grow your crop and process the beans. To learn more about vanilla at The Vanillerie call them at (808) 331-8535 or book a tour at www.thevanillerie.com. They are located at 73-4301 Laui St. near the bottom of Kaiminani Street just north of Kailua-Kona.
The shop is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. Visitors are welcome during their regular business hours. Be sure to stop by and see their holiday display of vanilla products.
Gardening Events
Saturdays:
• “Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Come with a mask and prepared to practice social distancing. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks provided. Visit the website www.amygreenwell.garden/get-involved/volunteer-1/ and sign up for the weekly email for more information on work days.
Farmer Direct Markets
(Check websites for the latest hours and online markets)
Wednesday:
• “Ho’oulu Farmers Market” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay
Saturday:
• “Keauhou Farmers Market” 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center. Information on their online market: keauhoufarmersmarket.com/onlinemarket
• “Kamuela Farmer’s Market” 7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables
• “Waimea Town Market” 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea
• “Waimea Homestead Farmers Market” from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea middle and elementary school playground
Sunday:
• “Pure Kona Green Market” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook
• “Hamakua Harvest” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honokaa
Plant Advice Lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu — (808) 322-4893 or walk in
Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Komohana in Hilo — (808) 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living part time in Kailua-Kona.