40% of vanilla worldwide is apparently gone thanks to a combination of theft and weather challenges in Madagascar where 80% of the world’s supply is produced.
Steve Poplar from The Poplar Report discusses this and other food challenge issues in his latest video.
Cyclone Gamane ravaged some of Madagascar’s key vanilla-growing regions, where torrential rain and high winds flooded the fields and stripped many vanilla pods from their vines. George Geeraerts, president of Madagascar’s vanilla exporters, said the deluge could cut the vanilla harvest by as much as 50 percent.
“On a bad year, production is about 1,500 tons compared with a range of 2,000 to 2,500 tons,” Geeraerts told Bloomberg, detailing that a conservative estimate pending further investigation could diminish the supply to as little as 1,000 tons. To put this in perspective, The Food Institute reached out to some veterans of vanilla to further understand the market and its implications.
“The most common uses for vanilla are as a flavoring for food products (baking, ice cream, confections, etc.) and beverages,” said David Branch, sector manager with the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, to FI. “However, vanilla is also used as a flavoring in syrups for medications and as a fragrance in perfumes and aromatherapy,” he added.
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
The second so called Boeing whistle blower was actually a whistle blower for a Boeing sub contractor Spirit Aerosystems. Hey never let the truth stand in the way of a good fable especially when you can keep kicking someone with your gratuitous propaganda when they are down. You all are sick.
Hey numbnuts. The story is about vanilla beans being wiped out by weather, not airline whistle blowers. What the hell is the matter with you?