Money does grow on Vanilla trees.

Borneo Vanilla founder Leo Komuji showing vanilla tree planted traditionally. 

Leo Komuji, a surveyor by profession, invested 14 years to finally "grow money" on his vanilla trees at his land at Kinarut, Papar here. 

When Rural Development Cooperative actively promoting vanilla planting more than a decade ago, he took the opportunity to learn the basics and started his own with 300 seedlings.

While many were into the industry like him during that time, not all made into harvesting the beans. But Leo did not want to give up and he did many trials and errors.  

He made it. In 2019, he began to share his knowledge and expertise when he was invited to give talk to planters in Indonesia about vanilla. 

On the same year, Leo also started to teach planters around Sabah by giving them training through courses.  

His farm here is the testimony to show and tell his success. It is also a great teaching center. 

If you come here, Leo will be showing you how they are planted at modern and traditional styles, two different species of vanilla, the pollination maneuver, the goats pen or they call it organic fertilizer department and dried vanillas. 

Above are the dried vanillas which should be kept in jars to retain its moisture and aroma. 

     Planter can earn up to RM55,000 per year 

Though it sounds too good to be true, the reality is vanilla's value is higher than most of the crops and even commodities such as rubber, palm oil or even musang king and etc that requires more initial costs and manpower. 

RM55,000 is achievable when a farmer plants 500 trees at 0.2 acre of land. For the first three years, Borneo Villa will be buying back RM25 per 1-metre vine cutting from each of the growing vanilla tree. As for the harvest, it is at RM80 per kilogramme.