Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, surpassed only by saffron.

Vanilla is derived from the orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily the species Vanilla planifolia. Madagascar produces approximately 80% of the world's supply, making the global market highly susceptible to local weather events like the devastating Cyclone Enawo in 2017. The high cost is fundamentally due to the plant's biology and the lack of natural pollinators outside its native Mexico.In commercial plantations, workers must manually pollinate each flower using a small wooden needle during a narrow window of just a few hours. If the flower is not pollinated on the day it opens, it withers and dies without producing a bean. This process requires constant monitoring of every single plant during the blooming season. Once harvested, the green beans have no flavor and must undergo a complex curing process. This involves killing the vegetative tissue with heat, sweating the beans in insulated boxes, and drying them in the sun for months. During this time, enzymatic reactions convert glucovanillin into vanillin, the compound responsible for the characteristic aroma. The entire production cycle from pollination to a finished, export-ready bean takes about 12 to 14 months. Because of this extreme labor requirement and the risk of crop theft, vanilla prices have historically peaked at over $600 per kilogram. This makes it significantly more expensive than other premium spices like cardamom or cinnamon.