Global Vanilla Beans Shortage from Africa Hits Western Ice cream production

A GLOBAL vanilla pod shortage is sending a chill down the spine of ice cream producers who have inflated prices to contend with.

With no sign of a price freeze in sight, prices of vanilla pod have been on the rise for several years following harvesting issues in Madagascar – the world's leading supplier.

Buy quality Gourmet and Extract Grade vanilla Beans in Uganda

One man feeling the effects is Steven Darvill, owner of The Handmade Ice Cream Company at Lakeside, who says poor crops on the African island have seen prices soar.


"I spoke to my supplier and was told there's a six to nine month drying time for vanilla and it was a poor crop last year, and the year before that wasn't particularly good either," he said. "Prices have been dramatically put up.

"It has had a massive impact. We don't use any artificial vanilla we only use pod. It's what we set out to do, it's the whole handmade ice cream ethos so we will have to absorb the costs. We will just take the hit and hope for a better crop next year."

Buy quality Grade A and Grade B vanilla Beans in Uganda

According to data firm Mintec, prices of vanilla have risen year-on-year by 120 per cent because of the supply shortage, while prices have been on the increase since 2012.

View full Vanilla News Article


17th-May-2016
The Westmorland Gazette