One of the most classic ice cream flavors is becoming much more expensive and it's impacting business owners.
The price of vanilla beans has skyrocketed over the past several years. In 2011 a pound of vanilla bean extract cost roughly eleven dollars, now that same amount costs nearly 200 dollars.
The increase is a result of higher demand, as well as a devastating hurricane that hit Madagascar, which produces more than half of the world's vanilla supply.
The dramatic price hike is negatively affecting local businesses. Hilary Martel co-owns the Bloomington ice cream shop Hartzell's. She says the business has had to adapt.
"We've had to limit any bulk sales as well as sales of milkshakes, because milkshakes have a large amount of ice cream in them," Martel says. "So we are trying to ration it."
Martel says she hopes a productive 2017 crop will eventually lower prices, but worries the vanilla bean's three-year growth cycle might mean a long while before prices drop.