Meet The Couple Bringing REAL Vanilla To Singapore | Singapore Hour

Key Concepts

• Vanilla Cultivation in Singapore: The pioneering effort by Charles and Juwita to grow vanilla in an urban environment.
• Vanilla Varieties: Tahiti, Madagascar, and Indonesian vanilla, each with distinct flavor profiles.
• Hand Pollination: The necessity of manual pollination for vanilla cultivation in Asia due to the absence of native bees.
• Vanilla Processing: The multi-step process of curing, drying, and packaging vanilla beans.
• Real vs. Artificial Vanilla: The significant difference in flavor complexity and aroma between natural vanilla beans and vanillin-based artificial extracts.
• Culinary Applications: The versatility of real vanilla in both sweet and savory dishes, including seafood and poultry.
• Challenges of Urban Agriculture: The difficulties faced in farming in Singapore, a city not designed for agriculture.
• End-to-End Vanilla Production: The company's comprehensive approach from farming to finished products.

Vanilla Cultivation and Processing in Singapore

Charles and Juwita are the first to grow vanilla in Singapore, establishing farms in the heart of the city. Their journey began about 10 years ago with purchasing seeds and attempting cultivation. They currently operate 12 farms across Singapore, with their largest located in Science Park. They grow more than three varieties of vanilla:

• Tahiti vanilla: Described as more fruity and flowery.
• Madagascar vanilla: Characterized by a creamy flavor.
• Indonesian vanilla: Noted for its earthy and smoky notes.

They are investigating if growing these varieties in Singapore yields different flavor profiles. The vanilla plants are nurtured for four to five years. A significant challenge in vanilla cultivation is that each plant flowers only once a year, and the bloom lasts for just one day. In Asia, the absence of native bees necessitates hand pollination for commercial vanilla production.

The post-harvest process is intensive. After harvesting, the vanilla beans must meet a minimum length requirement for sale. The harvested beans undergo boiling, followed by drying. This drying process can be done in the sun or, on rainy days, in an oven. It requires several hours of drying daily, with each day involving drying and vacuum packing, followed by another round of drying and vacuum packing. This cycle is repeated daily.

Charles and Juwita's company is the first in Singapore to manage the entire process from end-to-end, encompassing farming, growing, processing, and producing final products.

Culinary Exploration and Chef Michael's Endorsement

The harvested vanilla from the current year was presented to Chef Michael for his evaluation. Chef Michael expressed his admiration for the success of growing vanilla in Singapore, noting that the product appears to be of "world-class" quality. He recalled Charles approaching him with a sample, and he was impressed by the product's superiority to what he was previously using, its local origin, competitive pricing, and a "really, really prominent fresh smell of the vanilla and the aroma."

Chef Michael demonstrated the versatility of their vanilla by incorporating it into a lobster dish. He used the vanilla in a sauce made from the lobster heads, accentuating flavors of cognac, fennel, and celery, along with ginger. This "lobster vanilla" dish is featured on his menu. He noted that crustaceans and vanilla pair exceptionally well, with the vanilla complementing the other ingredients. He described the sauce as viscous with a nice caramel color and visible vanilla beans, finding the combination "really, very, very nice" and expressing surprise at how well vanilla can be used in savory dishes.

Their relationship with Chef Michael began two to three years prior when they first introduced their vanilla to him.

Vanilla Tasting and Education

To educate the public about the distinct taste of real vanilla, Charles and Juwita organized a vanilla tasting test for four friends, who were blindfolded. The objective was to differentiate between cakes made with real vanilla and those using artificial vanilla.

• Cake A: Described as having a smoother texture and a more plain taste.
• Cake B: Perceived as having a different taste and texture, with participants generally preferring it.

The explanation provided was that artificial vanilla is based on a single compound, vanillin, which imparts a singular sweet note. In contrast, real vanilla beans possess approximately 250 flavor notes, resulting in a more robust and complex taste. Despite the difficulty in distinguishing between the two, participants who identified the real vanilla generally preferred it.

The Genesis of the Vanilla Venture

The idea for their vanilla company stemmed from a shared love for vanilla. Both Charles and Juwita are significant enthusiasts of vanilla, with one of them having appreciated it since childhood and choosing vanilla-flavored items predominantly. They found it difficult to source high-quality vanilla in Singapore, encountering only artificial options. This led Juwita to propose the idea of growing vanilla locally.

They received initial guidance on vanilla cultivation from a farmer in Indonesia. Their first attempts were made at their home corridor, and five years ago, they decided to establish a company based on this venture.

Challenges and Motivation in Urban Farming

The transcript highlights the significant difficulties of being a farmer in Singapore, as the country is "really not designed for agriculture." They have faced moments where they considered quitting due to the demanding nature of doing "everything by ourselves." However, their driving force is their "belief that everything will be possible" and the conviction that "there is nothing impossible."

Culinary Applications and Future Endeavors

The vanilla is also being explored in other culinary applications. A banana spinach vanilla smoothie was presented, with vanilla paste sprinkled on top. The idea is to demystify vanilla, showing that it can be used in simple home preparations like milk, cereal, or yogurt, not just by professionals.

Chef Michael also discussed the potential of vanilla in Asian dishes, suggesting it could complement a pork stir-fry with pineapple and lychee, adding a "very, very nice" taste.

The company, named Mireia, operates its processing in a dedicated room, with plans to open a new processing center the following month, further solidifying their end-to-end operations.

Chef Michael's Perspective on Vanilla Quality

Chef Michael, who has spent time in Réunion Island, the "birthplace of the vanilla bean," was "absolutely impressed by the quality of the vanilla" provided by Charles. He expressed being "very, very honoured, very happy" and motivated to continue their work. He anticipates the vanilla will add a "delicate" floral note to a duck dish, where it will be incorporated into the meat itself as a brine, enhancing the duck's texture and flavor. He described the duck as "very soft and very tender."