Assisting Tonga's vanilla industry, Leody Vianikolo OIC MAFFF, and Ian Jones. Vava'u, April 2013.

Australian fine food supplier offers incentives to Tongan vanilla growers

Vanilla growers in Tonga are being offered a partnership deal with an Australian family-owned food company, Queen Fine Foods, to help develop the production of  high-quality Tongan vanilla in return for supply.

Vanilla growers who join the partnership will be assisted with a “Queen Vanilla Curing Certification Course (QVCCC)” to achieve organic certification for their plantations. The aim of the program is to develop sustainable farming practices, and it will provide funding towards critical vanilla curing infrastructure and farming education.

Dr Sam Himstedt of Queen Fine Foods in a statement said they were proud to partner with the people of Tonga to reinvigorate their vanilla industry and to help growers develop the ability achieve a more consistent and premium price for their beans.

"This is the only true, sustainable program on a scale that will assist not only the growers but the people of Tonga now and for future generations.

 “The incentivised program acknowledges it takes time and effort to bring vines back up to international production standards. Growers can therefore be assured of a purchase commitment from Queen at the beginning of the season, well before vanilla beans are harvested,” he stated.

In Vava'u, Ian Jones, director a local company Taste of Tonga, will be responsible for the ground operation and administering the quality and training programs in partnership with Queen Fine Foods of Australia and Queen New Zealand.

He said the program had been developed with the assistance of the Tongan Ministry for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries, the Pacific Islands Trade and Invest , Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand and Australian Certified Organic.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Sangster Saulala, welcomed the program. “This is a fantastic outcome for Tongan Vanilla.   We have the ideal conditions to grow this crop. Queen can assist us to become world’s best in growing and curing Vanilla.

“We are particularly impressed with Queens’ commitment to the ongoing development of the vanilla industry with the introduction of the Queen Vanilla Curing Certificate Course. This initiative recognises the bank of knowledge about vanilla in Tonga and will assist in ensuring it passes on to the next generation of vanilla producers," he said.

Queen Fine Foods is well known household brand as Australia's leading maker of pure vanilla extracts and essences and supplies flavourings to caterers and commercial customers. Established in 1897, the company is named after Queen Victoria who loved the vanilla flavour. The company states that "vanilla has always been our flagship flavour" and it is committed to developing the highest quality products and sources only the finest ingredients.