Prova and Barry Callebaut extend vanilla and cocoa initiative in Madagascar

27 Jun 2022 --- Vanilla supplier Prova and Swiss chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut have teamed up to support vanilla farmers in introducing cocoa trees, providing training to improve productivity and the quality of both vanilla and cocoa. The partnership will also fund and support local communities through social, health and education programs.

This latest commitment is supported by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and supports both companies’ responsibilities to 100% sustainable ingredients. 

As part of its Forever Chocolate strategy, Barry Callebaut is making further strides to having 100% sustainable ingredients in all its products by 2025. 

Demand for sustainable vanilla
The project started in 2016 in Bemanevika, Madagascar, and has proven to be “a successful driver of 100% sustainable vanilla,” says Barry Callebaut.

All vanilla extracts Barry Callebaut sources for the European market are now 100% sustainable.Despite the challenges created by tropical cyclone Enawo in 2017, volatile vanilla prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, Barry Callebaut’s collaboration with Prova has “exceeded all expectations, and a second phase is now being launched,” the company details. 

The vanilla market, a key ingredient of chocolate and confectionery products, has seen strong market volatility in recent years, including tight supplies and high prices. 

Vanilla farmers in Madagascar depend heavily on vanilla prices. When the price is low, many struggle to make ends meet.

“This long-term project has shown the value of partnering with our main vanilla supplier to achieve positive change in a challenging environment,” explains Massimo Selmo, chief procurement officer at Barry Callebaut. 

“By combining our expertise in sustainability and cocoa, we enabled farmers to diversify and grow their income. The success of the past five years has prepared the ground for further expansion of our partnership and our commitment to sustainable vanilla and cocoa sourcing from Madagascar.”

Boost for vanilla farmers 
The sustainability initiative has supported 700 vanilla farmers. The crop diversification has been complemented by vital training in good agricultural practices (GAP) and financial resilience and independence.

So far, over 100,000 seedlings have been given to vanilla farmers as part of the project, together with training and tools to help them diversify their income, especially during the five-month period when they typically don’t have any income.

Barry Callebaut supply chain
The first 100% traceable vanilla from the initiative were delivered to Barry Callebaut factories in Belgium, Italy and France back in 2018.

Since 2020, all vanilla extract used in Barry Callebaut’s European factories has been completely sustainable. 

In 2021, the Madagascan cocoa stemming from the income diversification project was sold into the Barry Callebaut supply chain for the first time.A pioneering initiative started by Barry Callebaut and Prova in 2016 is being expanded.

Expansion and commitment to sustainability
The project’s second phase will continue the GAP training for vanilla and cocoa, and there will be more community-based social initiatives. 

A second fermentation center is due for completion in 2023. Further diversification possibilities are under evaluation, such as patchouli, cattle, poultry and aquaculture, for areas where the soil does not lend itself to cocoa.

In April, a knowledge exchange program stemming from the first phase began between Madagascar and Côte d’Ivoire. 

On a strategic level, another pillar of action related to climate, including understanding deforestation, mapping plants, monitoring environmental change, biodiversity and food and water conservation, has been defined by Barry Callebaut and supported by Prova.

Last July, FoodIngredientsFirst revealed that Barry Callebaut and Prova were on track to launch a Madagascar charter aiming to boost its vanilla sourcing credentials. 

FoodIngredientsFirst previously spoke with suppliers, including Prova, about key trends in vanilla and how sustainable sourcing – in line with planetary health trends – is vital.

Earlier this year, the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control in France closed in on retailers who incorrectly label vanilla products or pass synthetic vanillin as natural.

Edited by Elizabeth Green