Rainforest - the natural habitat of vanilla



Back in 1981, we travelled to Central America with a small backpack and by bus, and we were amazed by the unique natural environment. However, during our regular visits in the years that followed, we realised that the rainforests from Mexico to Costa Rica had been destroyed by deforestation in a very short space of time.
With the destruction of the rainforests and their ecosystems, the natural habitat of a plant that originated here was also lost: Vanilla
It was an old Indian who first showed us vanilla plants in the forests of Guatemala and drew our attention to their loss. We became curious and collected all the information we could find about this plant and its cultivation methods.
After much research and discussions with biologists and agronomists, we realised that vanilla offers the possibility of sustainable plantation farming. As the market opportunities for the aromatic spice pods are favourable, we actually decided to start an agroforestry project in Costa Rica and set up a vanilla plantation.
We bought a 9-hectare finca that was only pasture land and used for cattle breeding. By reforesting over 10,000 indigenous trees, we were able to develop a 3-hectare crop of vanilla plants and cocoa trees and reclaim a piece of nature. Our plantation now absorbs an estimated 25.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and produces 18 tonnes of oxygen.
Our work in Costa Rica is supported by the non-profit forestry service FUNDECOR and scientists from the University of Costa Rica and the University of Vera Cruz (Mexico). We pass on all our experience to small farmers and help with reforestation and the establishment of vanilla crops.
Below you can see the development steps of our project in pictures: