Saint-Benoit

Saint-Benoît anchors Réunion's windward east coast, where volcanic soils and reliable rainfall created the conditions for vanilla's transformation from colonial curiosity to protected geographical indication. The hand-pollination technique that revolutionized global vanilla production was discovered here in 1841 by an enslaved 12-year-old named Edmond Albius—a founder effect that made Réunion briefly the world's largest producer before Madagascar scaled the technique. Today, eight eastern municipalities including Saint-Benoît hold the exclusive PGI designation for 'Vanille de l'île de La Réunion.' Yet production has collapsed: just 20 tonnes of green vanilla (4 tonnes processed) from approximately 150 producers, far below demand. Climate change accelerates the decline—shifting cultivation schedules, reducing yields, enabling pest proliferation. The June 2024 International Vanilla Congress in La Réunion gathered sixty scientists from twenty countries to address survival of the crop on its adoptive island. Beyond vanilla, Saint-Benoît hosts 401 agricultural enterprises including aromatic and medicinal plant cultivation, reflecting broader farm diversification. Early 2024 harvest losses excluding sugarcane exceeded €40 million island-wide, with Saint-Benoît's melon crops among the casualties. La Vanilleraie welcomed 46,000 tourists in 2024, demonstrating how agricultural heritage tourism now generates more value than vanilla production itself—an economic phase transition from cash crop to cultural commodity.