look for beans from Madagascar, which is the country that produces the most vanilla in the world. Additionally, keep in mind that beans labeled "Grade B" are ideal for extract-making. Next ...

Vanilla is native to Mexico, but deforestation there has greatly reduced its natural habitat. In Madagascar, where over 80% of vanilla is produced, the flowers have to be pollinated by hand.

Though vanilla isn’t indigenous to the country, Madagascar now supplies up to 85% of the world’s natural vanilla. In 2017, a tropical cyclone destroyed about 30% of Madagascar’s vanilla, causing a ...