Quality counts

Persuading buyers that they are buying a better product than is on offer anywhere else is one of the keys to successful marketing. The special processing of a product often provides that key. In Comoros, for example, vanilla is subjected to a lengthy arid complex post-harvest treatment to ensure an end product of the very highest quality. Vanilla beans {beans' when fresh, 'pods' when dried) are first graded and the finest are immersed in water heated to between 50°C and 80°C for one to two minutes. They are then put into closed boxes to lose their green colour and afterwards dried in the sun for ten days while they acquire the characteristic shrivelled, black appearance. For anything between ten days and three months they undergo further drying under shade before being packed into crates for several months. Throughout this time, the pods have to be frequently inspected. Finally, they are graded, weighed and packed ready for export. Post-harvest treatment of such complexity should command a premium, and it is a fact of life that the highest prices are paid for small quantities of the highest quality.Persuading buyers that they are buying a better product than is on offer anywhere else is one of the keys to successful marketing. The special processing of a product often provides that key. In Comoros, for example, vanilla is subjected to a..