At Corridgeree we grow our vanilla in an agroforestal model using a wide variety of tutor trees, including madre de cacao, moringa, mahogany, neem, cocoa and a variety of local Belizean hardwood trees.  All our vanilla is irrigated using drip systems to maintain growth during the dry season from February to June. Our composting program (see Sustainability) uses local vegetative waste including coconut husks, tree pruning, sawdust, waste from our hydroponic and pineapple program combined with our farm produced biochar.

We encountered wild vanilla on our farm early in its development, and quickly realized the need for its preservation, given the large-scale land clearing going on in southern Belize. Our work with the University of Florida to map clusters of wild vanilla in southern Belize and identify them using DNA techniques will go a long way towards conserving this critical species in our region (Click to see Plant Science vanilla genotyping article).

In 2019 Corridgeree set up an in-vitro plant propagation laboratory with the assistance to the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the EU. We produce vanilla seedlings for commercial production with confirmed genetic identity, as well as providing researchers an in-country lab for further investigation into the genetics of one of the world’s most popular flavor.

Corridgeree also works with small farmers and farmers’ groups to provide training in vanilla production.