PISA: ensuring efficient post-harvest practices to build vanilla as a high added-value market

The agroecological cacao production model in Haiti is suitable to intercropping vanilla. Thus, PISA is working with cacao farmers to develop this potential high value crop to diversify and increase their income.

Vanilla was introduced to Haiti by the USAID-Deed project ten years ago. This year, PISA plans to establish an appropriate market system strategy to make it profitable. While looking for cutting sources to introduce to

APROCANO’s farmers network, PISA’s junior agronomist Nocelyn Préval identified two plots in Milot where the vanilla is growing widely and densely. He also noticed that the two plots showed recurrent production of vanilla beans from natural pollination. To experiment with the post-harvest process of vanilla, PISA harvested and bought those green beans to start processing in December 2022.

The cured vanilla obtained from this experiment reached 12 Kg after refining. As PISA’s partner in the project, LUSH offered to receive half of this vanilla and conduct analyses and tests for cosmetic products recipes. LUSH ethical buyer and focal point for PISA, Jesse Pretty, received the

sample in time to bring half of it to LUSH’s laboratory in the UK and left the other half in Canada for product development and other testing. LUSH will provide information on moisture and vanillin content, two of the major parameters to measure quality. PISA is also sending samples to other potential buyers for additional feedback on flavor.

Nocelyn Preval said “I am very enthusiastic about this new product. This is new for us, and I am really looking forward to receiving feedback on our post-harvest processes to confirm if we are on the right path. My goal is to have Haitian vanilla known at the international level for its quality the same way as cacao thanks to PISA’s work.”

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