There is a vanilla crisis.  The familiar flavor agent is a mixture of chemicals from an orchid- and there’s not enough being produced to satisfy demand.  But Dr. Alan Chambers knows that crisis and opportunity travel together.  He is currently engaging in breeding of vanilla orchids, hoping to improve yields and product quality.  In this episode he covers vanilla’s natural history, its current challenges in cultivation and future outlook.# COLABRATalking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/# TALKING BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.