A Fragrant Year of Growth: Celebrating 2024 at Vanilla Paradise Nevis

As 2024 draws to a close, Vanilla Paradise Nevis reflects on a year of remarkable milestones and fragrant beginnings. From welcoming hundreds of visitors to nurturing our vanilla orchids, we’ve been planting the seeds—both literal and figurative—for a bright future. Let’s celebrate the highlights of this incredible year and look ahead to what’s next!

Milestones and Growth

Vanilla orchids need to be 4 to 5 years old before they bear flowers, but this year, our vanilla vines—just three years old—surprised us with 200 blossoms, which we hand-pollinated with care. These flowers gave us nearly 200 vanilla pods, now being cured after nine months of growing on the vine. Alongside this first harvest, we tackled challenges like installing electric fencing to deter curious Vervet monkeys, implementing a state-of-the-art smart irrigation system, and weathering storms and hurricanes alongside our resilient neighbours on Nevis and beyond.

Learning from the Best

A key highlight of the year was Gina’s invaluable trip to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, where she gained new skills and insights from expert vanilla farmers. This experience has equipped us with best practices in cultivating and processing vanilla—knowledge we’re already putting into action back home.

Expanding the Farm

Our farm is expanding! We’ve started doubling our shade house capacity, laying the foundation for a dedicated vanilla processing facility. Processing fresh beans into cured vanilla is a critical step in bringing our product to market. This expansion will support local agriculture, create jobs, and enhance sustainability. It is a proud investment in our community and the island’s future.

Adding to these achievements, we’ve welcomed new team members from the local community. From just one team member at the beginning of the year, we now have four passionate individuals - all working together to bring our vision to life.

Building Connections Through Vanilla

We were honoured to host distinguished visitors this year, including the Swiss Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, Her Excellency Rita Hämmerli-Weschke, and Nevis’ Premier, the Hon. Mark Brantley. Their visits highlighted the collaboration and community spirit that define Vanilla Paradise Nevis.

Creativity Blossoms on the farm

Life on any farm is hard work, so we added a touch of creativity and joy by transforming Vanilla Paradise Nevis into a canvas for local artistry.

At the entrance to the farm, visitors are greeted by a stunning mural of vanilla orchids painted by Vaughn Anslyn, the exceptional and talented Nevisian artist. This large artwork, painted on a 9-ton boulder, is the perfect introduction to the beauty and creativity that define our farm.

Nearby, a larger-than-life vanilla orchid, carved from mahogany by local craftsman Isiah Parry, stretches its petals toward the sky. Isiah’s craftsmanship also supports our farm through the sustainably harvested wooden posts used to train our vanilla vines.

Our artistic journey continued with the creation of the Vanilla Princess Totem Pole. Inspired by the Aztec legend behind vanilla, this whimsical 15-foot sculpture features metallic arms, bracelets, and a swinging handbag, and is guarded by two feline companions, and a dog sculpture dedicated to Toni, our Canine Vanilla Connoisseur. 

Preserving History, Cultivating the Future

History comes alive at Vanilla Paradise Nevis! In partnership with the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and the Nevis Department of Tourism: we were honoured to be granted the chance to develop an eco-tourism project at the historic Hamilton Estate Sugar Mill, situated next door to our farm.

Renovations of the general manager’s house will soon create a vibrant visitor centre, blending Nevis’ rich cultural heritage with sustainable tourism.

While this transformation takes place, visitors can explore the mill through self-guided tour panels that we have installed to tell the story of this iconic site.

In mid-2025, we look forward to inaugurating the Vanilla Café, where visitors can enjoy vanilla-infused delicacies. It’s an exciting chapter where history meets flavour!

Touring the Farm: A Must-Do on Nevis

Since launching farm tours in January, we have welcomed over 300 visitors through our bright yellow gates! Local politicians, diplomats, Nevisians and Kittitians, church groups, schoolchildren, tourists and their hosts, walking groups, solo travellers, bloggers, foodies, and curious adventures - all discovering what it takes to run Nevis’s first vanilla farm and the unique agricultural potential of our beautiful island.

Book your tour here and experience the journey yourself.

Vanilla Paradise Nevis Nominated at the Ministry of Tourism Awards

This year, Vanilla Paradise Nevis was honoured to be nominated for the 2024 Tourism Awards in the Tourism Entrepreneur category! As the island’s first vanilla farm, this recognition celebrates our efforts in sustainability, innovation, and creating unforgettable experiences.

While we didn’t take home the award, we are incredibly proud to be part of a community that showcases Nevis’ unique beauty and potential.

Looking Ahead: A Bright and Fragrant 2025

As we look ahead to a new year, we are filled with gratitude for the unwavering support of our community, our visitors, and our growing team. 2024 has been a year of learning, growth, and laying down roots—both literally and figuratively. From expanding our production to preserving our island’s history, every step on the journey is precious.

We look forward to welcoming more guests, sharing more stories, and, of course, cultivating more of the world’s most precious spice right here on Nevis.

Thank you for being part of our journey—here’s to an exciting and fragrant 2025!

The Vanilla Paradise Nevis Team