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Vanilla II: The Curing and the Chemistry
When we left vanilla in the last post, the French had finally broken the Spanish monopoly and were beginning to establish a vanilla industry in Madagascar and French Polynesia. Normally when a monopoly is broken prices come down as supply increases and the monopolist loses control over pricing. While this was partly the case with… Continue reading
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Vanilla I: Botany and Bad Behaviour
Humans have an almost unlimited capacity to endure other people’s suffering when there are large sums of money to be made. For proof of this we need look no further than our history books. History is littered with examples of humans behaving appallingly to their fellow human while in pursuit of a quick buck. Notable… Continue reading
