Vanilla could be a potentially lucrative alternative crop to oranges, a market Florida is known for but one that has been struggling for years due to weather and crop disease. 

Jaclyn Kropp, a University of Florida professor in the food and resource economics department said "with citrus in decline, we’re searching for crops that can generate profits for producers, vanilla is a high-value crop, so there’s immense revenue potential.”

Currently, the university reports there are no large-scale commercial production of the crop in the United States, which imports more than $194 million worth of vanilla beans every year. 

"Research from Kropp and her colleagues suggests consumers value Florida-grown vanilla extracts when they know what they’re consuming," the University reports. "Participants of a blind sensory panel preferred synthetic vanilla flavoring to natural vanilla extract, according to a recently published UF/IFAS study."

The data Kropp and her team collect from the studies and surveys will, according to the university, "ultimately steer development of Florida’s burgeoning vanilla industry."

“This market research is valuable because it provides insight into which variety of vanilla researchers should focus their efforts on in order for the state to create and support a thriving, in-demand crop,” Kropp said.