Vanilla is an expensive spice because of various factors, including the labor-intensive harvesting process, the difficulty of pollination, the theft of vanilla beans, extreme weather conditions and the growing demand for organic products.

The vanilla vine takes years to mature, and its flowers only bloom one day a year, making the pollination process difficult.

The vanilla market has also changed, with cheaper artificial vanilla entering the market in the 1980s, and demand for real vanilla increased again in 2011. Vanilla crop theft is also common, leading to supply chain confusion and a decline in vanilla quality.

Climate change is another problem, as farmers risk losing their crops due to extreme weather events. Madagascar, where most of the world's vanilla is produced, has frequent cyclones. All of these factors contribute to the high price of vanilla, making it a risky and volatile business for farmers.