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→Issouf - a peasant cocoa farmer in the Sambirano valley
Behind his house Issouf has a small tree nursery, where he cherishes not only new cocoa trees but also fast growing trees. Those fast growing trees he plants together with other villagers on the mountain slopes to prevent future erosion which could destroy the plantations again. For Issouf, as for many other self-sufficient farmers, cocoa is an important cash crop which is indispensable to improve the living conditions.
== Mail Hery ==
For the Chocolate Factory Robert, before 2004, the plant is provided with RAMANANDRAIBE Export, which in turn is provided with peasant producers.
But the quality was so bad that RAMANANDRAIBE Export decided to form a cooperative of farmers, and provide technical and framing materials (fermentation tank, tractor to remove the pods, ...).
In 2004, after a campaign by Valrhona Cocoa Madagascar, there was great enthusiasm on cocoa rare, fine cocoa and very aromatic.
(Valrhona is a French chocolate maker famous for its fine chocolates, a competitor of Barry Callebaut, the first global chocolate).
The campaign was based on the fact that a local Sambirano is quite unique, allowing for a rate greater than 10% Criollo at each harvest.
Valrhona but did not reveal that they provided only with major concessions as Millot or ASPM, the only companies that provide excellent preparation of cocoa beans.
Farmers do not ferment well cocoa, and do not dry well too ... the quality is not the same.
However, Millot and ASPM produce only 1/5th only cocoa production in Madagascar.
The rest is produced by farmers.
However, cocoa from Madagascar was deemed among the cocoas in the world (such as cocoa from Venezuela, Chuao of Mexico ....) after the campaign launched by Valrhona, which has resulted in great enthusiasm on this cocoa from Madagascar.
The great chocolate as Cluizel, Rusch, Amano, Patric Rober, Pralus ... rushed to Sambirano to source the very famous bean.
So, between 2004 and 2009, cocoa from Madagascar has experienced great expansion in the world of chocolate, its price exceeds even the price of the stock exchange of London Cocoa. And accordingly, there were two major problems:
- There is too much demand relative to supply
- Farmers are the quantity but not quality: they want to earn money as quickly as possible and collectors, knowing nothing about the art of cocoa preparation, drive them to constantly produce, produce, produce, ...
Following preparation of this problem, the European chocolate were disappointed about the quality of Madagascan cocoa in late 2009. Most of them have given up trying to make chocolate "Madagascar". After the fall of Madagascan vanilla, cocoa comes the turn of the Malagasy.
And since the price of cocoa in Ambanja has steadily declined to reach the minimum price the year 2012.
And the conclusion is: when the price is very high, the quality is bad, but when the price is very low, the quality is good.
The problem with peasant producers is that they need money every day to meet their needs (because of poverty) and therefore, they can not wait for time to prepare good cocoa (about 20 to 24 days). They sell, even at half the length of preparation.
The Chocolate Robert suffered a lot of these problems in Ambanja cocoa, a complex problem, which appears from without.
So here's the approach it has adopted: select a better coordinator - collector cocoa Ambanja (among those of Rama Export) and contract with him for periodic deliveries in cocoa. The contract states "the observance of quality standards" test cutting beans.
Once a delivery does not meet the standards, it is denied and not paid.
But if it meets the standards, the Chocolate Factory Robert pays a premium-collector that the coordinator must épercuter farmers he has taken care to select.
The coordinator-collector must indeed select good peasants, otherwise it will fail to meet standards.
René Julien collection especially on medium and high Sambirano. For the low Sambirano, cocoa is mainly CNIA, a former concession of the state, which is being privatized.
And to meet the quality, the chocolate has given to Mr. Robert Rene Julien a tester cup, which allows him to control consignments that are delivered by farmers. A moisture meter is also available from Mr. Rene Julien and a 4 x 4 and a motorcycle for his tours in the countryside, in the plantations.
Upon receipt of the beans in the factory, the production manager performs a cutting test, a moisture test and a test to check the roast quality beans. Only after these tests that cocoa is accepted or not.
But this is still improving: the quality of chocolate is prepared from harvesting cocoa pods (which must be in good maturity), then fermentation and sun drying.
Thus, with René Julien, we're a team in Ambanja, to allow daily monitoring of cocoa preparation.