The less heard of Tahitian Vanilla Bean from Papua New Guinea

Slofoodgroup Team August 11, 2019

Ever hear of Tahitian Vanilla from Papua New Guinea?

When most people think of Tahitian vanilla beans, thoughts of French Polynesia and beautiful sunsets in places like Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea come to mind. While this is true, many folks don't realize that Tahitian vanilla is also grown in many other regions, the largest producer being another South Pacific island. Less famous, possibly more remote, and immensely culturally diverse, Papua New Guinea, is one of the last frontiers of the old world.  Papua New Guinea is now a power player in vanilla bean trade and the world's third-largest exporter of this fragrant delight by volume.

Tahitian Vanilla is a species of the vanilla orchid known scientifically as Vanilla Tahitensis, after the island where it was first found, but it is no longer only produced in Tahiti. 

Tahitian vanilla, first found and classified as a hybrid vanilla orchid growing in the wild in Tahiti was brought to PNG sometime around the 1960s as an agricultural experiment but soon abandoned later to be reborn in the mid-1990's by Allan Bird in the East Sepik province.  Interest for growing vanilla was thought to be a means to provide income to rural villages and an exportable commodity that could be scaled across the country to these remote villages. The world was also looking for an offset to the Madagascar vanilla trade that has dominated the world vanilla market for many years.

Papua New Guinea is now the largest producer of Tahitian vanilla in the world!

At Slofoodgroup, we offer some of the finest Papua New Guniea, grade A, Tahitian vanilla beans you can find at the best prices. By partnering directly with farmers and villages throughout the growing regions of Papua New Guinea, Slofoodgroup is uniquely positioned to help support, nurture, and grow the Papua New Guinea vanilla industry both now and well into the future.

Our investments and holdings provide direct support and resources to individuals, families, and communities within Papua New Guinea.  We pride ourselves on our relationships and work in unison with our partners to offer guidance in producing the absolute best possible vanilla beans and educating each other to meet the high standard of both domestic and international customers and consumers of vanilla products. 

Try some Tahitian vanilla today for that soft subtle and floral aroma that this these vanilla beans are known for.  If you are a die-hard traditionalist and looking for some authentic Tahitian vanilla beans grown in Tahiti, we have that too, plus many more of your favorite flavor to tame your taste buds.