With their gourmet appearance, velvety flavor, and intoxicating aroma, these premium Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans from Nielsen-Massey deliver an unforgettable culinary experience that your patrons won't forget. On the islands of Madagascar and Reunion (formerly known as Bourbon) off the east coast of southern Africa, expert farmers carefully hand-pollinate delicate white and yellow vanilla orchid flowers to produce long seed pods that resemble green beans. These pods ripen on the vine under the tropical sun for around 9 months before being hand-harvested and cured. The pods are first blanched in hot water, then placed in the sun each day to absorb heat and moved to large wooden boxes each night to sweat. From pollinating to harvesting to curing, it takes well over a year to transform the fragrant flowers of vanilla orchids into distinctive, long, dark brown vanilla beans. This time- and skill-intensive process results in vanilla with an unparalleled flavor that cannot be matched by synthetic alternatives.