The Hawaiian Vanilla Company Inc., the only farm growing vanilla in the United States, was awarded a $41,000 planning grant by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to help develop a business plan to significantly increase the wholesale sales of vanilla-based products to the Mainland gourmet vanilla market.

The grant is part of $22.7 million Value-Added Producer Grant programs that Johanns awarded yesterday to 162 recipients in 40 states and Puerto Rico.

"These grants support farm families in rural America by helping them market their commodities and increase their financial returns," Johanns said in a released statement. "I'm pleased to announce that some of these funds will help develop alternative fuels from renewable energy sources as part of President Bush's comprehensive national energy policy."

Approximately one-third of the grants, 56, will go to recipients who requested $50,000 or less in federal assistance.

A full list of grant recipients is available at USDA's Web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov.

Hawaiian Vanilla Company was founded in 1998 by Jim and Tracy Reddekopp in Pa'auilo on the Hamakua Coast about 35 miles north of Hilo.

The company produces a number of products from locally grown vanilla, including gourmet vanilla beans, pure vanilla extract, Estate grown Hawaiian Vanilla Coffee, Hawaiian Vanilla Vineyard Blend Black Tea, Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Body Lotion, Hawaiian Vanilla Lilikoi Curd, and Hawaiian Vanilla Dark Chocolate Truffles.

Hawaiian Vanilla Company was the first commercial vanilla farm in the United States, and has been featured on The Food Network, the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel.

The company is part of the growing diversified agriculture business in Hawai'i.

In 2005, revenue from flowers, taro, vegetables, seeds, nuts and other diversified agriculture crops more than doubled the $138 million brought in by sugar and pineapple. Flowers and other nursery products crossed the $100 million sales mark during the year, almost two times the revenue of sugar.