Vanilla: Why Does It Cost So Much Today?

I got some real sticker shock a few days ago when I bought a large bottle of vanilla extract.  A few years ago a 16-ounce bottle cost $8.  That same bottle now sells for $34. 

I do a lot of baking, especially with chocolate, and I never skimp on the vanilla.  It was probably my first unwritten cooking rule—Honor the vanilla.  Never use imitation vanilla, made from something called vanillin. 

The Nancy Drew in me did some research and discovered a few reasons why vanilla extract has shot up in price.

1) Weather – last year a cyclone hit Madagascar, which grows nearly three-quarters of the world’s vanilla beans, destroying many of the plants.  It will take a few years before full production returns.

2) Consumer preference for natural ingredients has also driven up prices.  More demand for a product there is less of means higher prices.  Hopefully as demand increases, vanilla bean production will also increase and prices will come down.

Vanilla has always been expensive. In fact, it’s the second most expensive spice in the world.  Saffron wins the Most Expensive title.  But nobody wants to add saffron to their chocolate desserts.

                            For easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"