Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, and its cultivation requires intensive manual labor: from sowing and pollination to harvesting and drying.

Vanilla flowers contain both male and female organs. A fine membrane separates the flower’s stigma from its rostellum, so it must be lifted manually while the flower is carefully pressed to pollinate it. This delicate process takes place in the early morning hours, from late March to early May. For each large flower cluster, no more than 5 to 10 flowers should be pollinated, because the fewer green pods that form, the longer they can grow. A fresh vanilla pod is fleshy, light green, can measure between 15 and 25 centimeters long, and contains thousands of tiny seeds.

But even then, the vanilla is not yet ready to release its unique aroma for ice cream, desserts, and perfumes, because the green pods have no scent yet… but that’s another story.

Here we would like to show you a slow-motion video illustrating how manual pollination is carried out in Mexico.

But we also have natural pollinators nearby, such as the Melipona bee.

But we also have natural pollinators nearby, such as the Melipona bee.