Cooperative Provanille: All you need to know about Reunion's "black gold" at the Bras-Panon vanilla cooperative
Provanille, the Vanilla Cooperative of Bras-Panon
Created in 1968, the Vanilla Cooperative of Bras-Panon is the only one on the island.
Today, it brings together nearly 140 producers of vanilla, and its mission is to transform the green vanilla of its members in the purest Reunionese tradition. It buys, collects, processes and markets the produce grown in the eastern and south-eastern part of the island, where the most beautiful forests. The purpose of the structure is to supervise, lead and develop the sector.
A fun and interesting visit
La Cooperative offers visitors a 45-minute immersion in the intoxicating world of Reunion's famous "black gold". Sharing this heritage and all its secrets, from planting to processing, including the pollination of the vanilla flower, is a moment that is above all intended to be full of good humor and based on clear explanations that allow you to better understand the challenges of the sector and better understand the value of this precious treasure which has a little something magical about it.
The visits offered allow both tourists and Reunionese to discover the history of vanilla, from the discovery of the artificial fertilization process by Edmond Albius, a young slave from Reunion, to current methods.
Accompanied by a guide who is as friendly as he is passionate, the guided tour of the workshops allows you to realize the work and the manpower required at each stage of its transformation.
Finally, visiting the magnificent garden and its abundant flora of various species is a pleasure for both the eyes and the smell.
A shop worth visiting
One of the strong points of the Cooperative de la Vanille de Bras-Panon is undoubtedly its shop, access to which is of course free and open to all.
The shop offers different productions of the Cooperative but also other local products and crafts. The traditional vanilla pod thus shares the spotlight with derivative products, food or cosmetics in order to appreciate vanilla in all its facets. We obviously fall for the delicious coffee flavored with vanilla from Reunion Island and we let ourselves be seduced by this irresistible body milk and its soft and creamy cream that leaves a delicate fragrance on the skin.
Pour s'y rendre
See also Bras-Panon
Activities to do in Bras-Panon
Where to sleep ?
