All for People and Quality.
Northern Sambirano Valley
On the way to the North of Madagascar island, the landscape is made of meadows, savannah and hilly mountains. Cacao trees are growing on low slopes and in the delta, alongside other crops like coffee and ylang-ylang.
The Northern Sambirano Valley is affected by the erosion of hilly mountains, threatening the livelihoods of smallholder farmers living off the lands. To compensate for the non proximity to the Sambirano river naturally enriching the soils in minerals, farmers provide a better care for their cacao plantations and proactively use organic fertilizers such as manure and compost to maintain productivity.
Anjavimilay – Single origin
Certified organic and SPP fair trade
In Anjavimilay village in the Northern Sambirano Valley, 12 farmers are working hand in hand to produce better cacao quality and support their families since 2004. Fanavotana Cooperative (literally meaning Redemption) is part of the Union of Cooperative Lazan’I Sambirano (UCLS). They have a dynamic team led by young farmers (75%) proactively engaged in cacao production. We found here a great model of intergenerational cross-learning and social inclusiveness. They are well organized and renowned for the great care and quality assurance to their cacao production and processing, providing an especially careful attention to fermentation and sorting.
Out of the 700 Mt of fine cacao produced every year by the union of cooperatives UCLS, only 35% currently has access to market. The farmers of Fanavotana Cooperative, like all of their peers, give their best to produce fine cacao but struggle to commercialize it all. Our goal is to support them in securing sustainable partnerships with customers.
- Type: single origin
- Main varieties: Trinitario (predominant), Criollo and Amelonado
- Peak harvest periods: end of April to mid-June; end of September to mid-January
- Quality: large cacao beans with uniform size (<95 beans in 100g), “good fermented” grade I with <1% of slaty beans and <1% of mouldy and insect-damaged beans, moisture content of 6.5-7.5%
- Flavour profile: chocolate note with citrus and ripe red fruit notes
- Certification: Ecocert Organic certification and SPP Fair Trade
- Number of farms in the cooperative: 12 (2 women, 10 men)
- Total surface: 70 ha
- Total annual production: 20.5 Mt of dry cacao beans
- Altitude: 20 to 25 m
- Soil features: deep loamy sandy soil, topsoil rich in organic matter
- Shade trees: indigenous wood species, jackfruit trees, mango trees, kythera plum trees, banana trees
- Plantation care: manual weeding, organic fertilizers (manure, compost), biannual cacao pruning, shade trees pruning
- Harvest frequency: once a week
- Fermentation: natural process, 6 to 7 days in wooden boxes, covered with banana leaves and jute bags
- Drying: direct sun-drying on cement patio during 7 to 10 days
- Sorting: before fermentation and after drying
- Packaging: jute bags
"As a cooperative, our goal is to find opportunities to establish longterm direct trade with customers. We give our best to continue producing fine cacao with good quality and we believe, as farmers, that we should reap more benefits from our work."
Norbert, farmer
