Bras-Panon Vanilla Cooperative

Vanilla growing on Réunion depends on a discovery made here: in 1841 an enslaved boy named Edmond Albius worked out how to pollinate the orchid by hand, which made cultivation possible outside Mexico and created the Bourbon vanilla trade. The cooperative at Bras-Panon takes green beans from growers and cures them by the traditional method of scalding, sweating, drying and conditioning over several months, and runs guided visits through the process.

What you actually see

• The curing process - scalding, sweating and drying beans over several months.
• The Albius method - the hand pollination technique discovered on the island in 1841.
• The conditioning room - beans stored in chests through the final months of curing.
• The sorting and grading - beans measured and graded before sale.

When to go

Year round; the harvest arrives from around June and curing runs through the following months. Guided visits run at set times. Booking is advisable for groups.

Honest expectations

Visits are guided and at set times only. The process is slow and much of what is seen is beans sitting in chests. The shop is a substantial part of the visit.

Nearby

Saint-Andre is north, and Saint-Benoit is south.