Vanilla supply solutions start from the same harvest, graded, dried and cut differently depending on what it's for: retail repackers and food manufacturers usually specify beans toward the wet end of the moisture range, while extraction buyers specify drier beans or cuts. This page explains the specifications that actually change by application, so you can specify accurately instead of guessing from a product name.
Two figures decide whether a lot of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla fits your use: moisture content (typically 20–35% in properly cured beans) and vanillin content (typically 1.0–2.5% by weight). Neither number by itself means "better" — they mean "suited to a different downstream process."
A wetter, higher-vanillin bean (upper end of both ranges) is what you want on display or in a jar — plump, fragrant, split easily by hand. That is why gourmet and retail-repacking buyers specify beans toward the wet end. A drier bean holds up better through weeks in transit and through extraction processing, where the bean itself won't be seen by an end customer, so appearance and moisture-driven weight matter less than consistent vanillin yield per kilogram processed. Extraction and industrial buyers typically specify toward the dry end for exactly this reason — and pay less per kilogram for it, since drier beans weigh less for the same plant material.
Confusing the two — ordering wet, gourmet-grade beans for an extraction line, or dry extraction-grade material for retail display — is one of the more common costly mismatches we see in first-time enquiries. Telling us the application up front, not just a target price, is what lets us quote the right lot the first time.
Bakery, dairy, confectionery and beverage lines generally specify mid-to-upper moisture beans (28–33%) for consistent aroma release during heat processing, with vanillin toward 1.5–2.0%. Volume and lot consistency between batches usually matter more here than any single bean's appearance.
Bourbon Grade A specification →
If you are reselling to other businesses rather than an end user, the deciding factor is usually which Incoterm matches your existing freight arrangement (see below), plus documentation that lets you re-export or re-invoice without gaps — commercial invoice, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate matched exactly to the lot on the bill of lading.
Full product range and grades →
For a branded jar or tube, length and visual consistency (whole, unbroken beans, even color, minimal splitting) usually outweigh a small vanillin difference — a customer judges the bean by eye before they ever smell it. We specify by length (15–22 cm) and grade beans visually before packing, not just by vanillin assay.
Red Souple EU specification →
Cuts and splits — lower-cost material from the same harvest, sorted out during grading for length or surface rather than aroma — carry the same vanillin-bearing seed pulp as whole beans, at a lower price per kilogram, because you are paying for extraction yield, not display appearance. Confirm moisture and vanillin on the Certificate of Analysis before committing to a large-volume order, since these figures (not "grade" as a label) determine your actual yield per kilogram.
Red Split specification →These three terms decide who arranges freight and who carries the risk while the shipment is in transit — they are not just a pricing detail.
We deliver the cargo on board the vessel at the Madagascar port. From that point, you (or your freight forwarder) arrange and pay for international freight and insurance, and bear the transit risk. This suits buyers who already have a forwarder and negotiated freight rates — you are not paying our freight markup.
We arrange and include freight and insurance to your destination port. You pay one landed figure and don't need an existing forwarder relationship, at the cost of less control over carrier and routing choices.
We deliver to a named destination beyond the port (your warehouse or a named address), excluding import duties and taxes, which you handle on arrival. This is the closest to a landed door price while keeping customs clearance in your hands.
Moisture content affects both weight and shelf behavior. Wetter beans (around 30–35%) suit applications with fast turnover, like retail and food manufacturing, where aroma-forward beans are used soon after receipt. Drier beans (closer to 20–25%) resist mold better over longer storage or transit and are typically preferred for extraction, where the bean is processed rather than displayed.
Vanillin is the main aromatic compound measured in cured vanilla, typically 1.0–2.5% by weight in Madagascar Bourbon beans. Higher-vanillin, higher-moisture beans are graded for gourmet/retail use where whole-bean appearance and aroma matter. Lower-grade or split beans, still useful for their vanillin content, are priced for extraction rather than display.
We quote FOB (Free On Board — buyer arranges and pays international freight from the Madagascar port), CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight — freight and insurance to destination port included), and DAP (Delivered At Place — delivered to a named destination, import duties excluded). Which one costs less depends on whether you already have a freight forwarder and volume discounts on your side, or prefer a landed price to plan around.
A short description of your product, target moisture/vanillin if you already have one, and your preferred Incoterm is enough for us to recommend a matching lot.
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