Celebrating Black History Month: Edmond Albius

Vanilla beans are the seedpods of Vanilla Orchids. These plants grow in the tropical forests of Mexico, Central and South America. In the wild, Vanilla Orchids are pollinated by a single, rare, species of bee.

Spanish colonizers were introduced to vanilla in Mexico and Central America and quickly brought it to Europe. It became one of the most sought-after spices in the world. For a century, Europeans tried to grow Vanilla Orchids for their seedpods, but failed.

Enter Edmond Albius (1829–1880) – the first person to hand pollinate Vanilla Orchids and make the commercialization of vanilla possible. Born into slavery on Réunion Island, a French colony in the Indian Ocean, Edmond worked in fields where a single Vanilla Orchid vine grew. There, he discovered a way to pollinate the flowers by hand with a technique still used to produce vanilla today.

Whether you prefer a hot vanilla latte or cool bowl of vanilla ice cream, celebrate Edmond Albius as the genius who brought you this delectable flavour.