UGANDAN VANILLA

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Vanilla originates from Mexico, where the vanilla vines are pollinated by Melipona bees. The vines were exported to and cultivated in Asia, Polynesia, and Africa, but there aren’t any Melipona bees to perform pollination, so each plant much be pollinated by hand, in the 24 hour window when the flowers are open for pollination. After his handiwork, the farmer must wait nine more months for the pods, similar to oversized green beans, to develop. 

Because of this, vanilla is highly labor-intensive, causing it to be the second most expensive spice in the world.