When you think of spices, you probably picture cinnamon sticks or peppercorns. But vanilla? That silky-smooth flavor found in ice cream and baked goods might not seem like a spice—but it is! And that’s just the start of what makes vanilla one of the most fascinating ingredients in your pantry.
Here are 7 surprising facts about vanilla that might just change how you see this fragrant favorite:
1. 🌱 Vanilla Is Actually a Fruit—But It’s Used as a Spice
Vanilla comes from the seed pod of the Vanilla planifolia orchid. These long, green pods are technically fruits. But once they’re cured and dried, they become what we know as vanilla beans—a culinary spice used to flavor foods, much like cloves or nutmeg.
2. 🌸 It's the Only Edible Orchid
That’s right—vanilla is the only member of the orchid family that produces something we can eat. There are over 25,000 species of orchids, but only one gives us vanilla. Talk about rare!
3. 🐝 Natural Pollination Is Almost Impossible
In the wild, vanilla orchids rely on a very specific type of bee (the **Melipona bee**) to pollinate their flowers. Outside of their native habitat in Mexico, **hand-pollination** is required—making vanilla one of the most labor-intensive crops in the world.
4. ⏳ It Takes Years to Produce a Single Bean
Vanilla vines can take up to 3 years before they begin to produce beans. After pollination, it takes another 9 months for the pod to mature, and that’s before the months-long curing process even begins.
5. 💰 It’s the Second Most Expensive Spice
After saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice on Earth. The intensive growing and curing process, combined with global demand, makes pure vanilla one of the most prized ingredients in the world.
6. 🌍 Most Vanilla Comes from a Single Region
Over 80% of the world’s vanilla comes from Madagascar, but producers like The Greenhouses are changing that. By growing vanilla in controlled greenhouse environments, we're showing that sustainable, local vanilla is possible—and delicious.
7. 🍦 Most “Vanilla” Flavor Isn’t Real
If your vanilla ice cream doesn’t specify “pure vanilla extract,” chances are it’s flavored with vanillin, a synthetic compound made from petrochemicals or wood pulp. The real thing has hundreds of flavor compounds—no imitation can compare.
🌿 At The Greenhouses, Vanilla Is a Craft
We’re proud to grow vanilla using above-ground trellises, in a minimal-space greenhouse, fed with our own farm-made compost.
So next time you reach for something “vanilla,” remember—it’s anything but ordinary.