Martinique Vanilla: History, Decline and Rebirth of a Premium Sector

An orchid present in Martinique's forests for centuries

Vanilla is a semi-epiphytic, vine-like orchid that climbs up trees using its aerial roots. In Martinique, one species grows naturally in the wild in the tropical forests, long before its cultivation was ever organised on the island: Vanilla Pompona, known locally as “Vanillon”.

Archival records show that a genuine vanilla production once existed in Martinique, with vanilla competitions even held on the island, the variety mainly cultivated at the time being Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla Planifolia).

A sector fallen into oblivion

Despite this long-standing presence, vanilla production became marginal in Martinique over time, overshadowed by other crops. It was not until the early 2020s that a new collective push gave this orchid back the place it once held in the island’s agricultural landscape.

The revival led by the PROVAÉ association

Founded on 13 July 2021, the Association of Martinique Vanilla and Spice Growers (PROVAÉ) brings together growers, project leads and individuals committed to reviving this heritage crop. Its president, Anaïs Janvier Chardon, who farms a 17-hectare plantation, is driven by the ambition to raise awareness of Martinican production, until now marginal, and to further structure the sector.

PROVAÉ also fosters inter-regional cooperation with growers in Guadeloupe and French Guiana, in a shared effort to showcase the vanillas of the Americas. The association has set itself the goal, within five years, of exporting Martinican vanilla and exceeding one tonne of annual production.

Domaine de la Vallée and the Vanilla House in Morne-Rouge

It is at Domaine de la Vallée, in Morne-Rouge, at the foot of Mount Pelée, that Anaïs Janvier Chardon has developed, since 2021, a project unlike any other in Martinique: the Vanilla House. Vice-president of PROVAÉ, she shares her passion for this extraordinary orchid during guided tours, explaining how she plants, hand-pollinates, harvests and dries her vanilla.

The visit ends with a stop at the estate’s shop, which offers vanilla pods as well as related products: vanilla jelly, spices, syrups, jams and rum-based liqueurs.

Pompona vanilla, a rare and iconic variety

Nicknamed “banana vanilla” because of the shape of its pods, larger, fleshier and slightly curved, Vanilla Pompona is clearly distinct from the Bourbon vanilla most widely grown around the world. Its aromatic profile, with floral, honeyed, spicy and slightly cocoa notes, is more complex and enveloping, drawing growing interest from pastry chefs and perfumers in search of rare raw materials.

This rarity is no marketing claim: each flower opens for only one morning and must be hand-pollinated, flower by flower. It then takes 3 to 7 years between planting and first harvest, plus a further 12 to 18 months between pollination and a pod ready for sale.

In 2026, this vanilla from Domaine de la Vallée reached an important milestone: presented at the International Agricultural Show in Paris, it was also entered into the Concours Général Agricole, France’s national benchmark for agricultural product quality.

Discover the North's vanilla with Smartinik

Morne-Rouge, home to the Vanilla House, sits at the foot of Mount Pelée, within the same Northern territory as the guided tour of Saint-Pierre and the Northern Martinique excursion offered by Smartinik. This vanilla revival echoes those of legendary coffee and cacao: three heritage sectors now being relaunched on the slopes of the same volcano.

Smartinik enriches its tours with explanations of the history of Martinican vanilla and its recent revival driven by local growers of the North.

• history of vanilla and its long-standing presence in Martinique’s forests;
• revival of the sector led by PROVAÉ and its growers;
• links between the North’s heritage sectors (vanilla, coffee, cacao);
• the latest from the Vanilla House according to Domaine de la Vallée’s schedule.

Smartinik does not systematically organise a combined visit with the Vanilla House at Domaine de la Vallée: this possibility depends on the estate’s availability and the season.