A pioneering initiative to improve the livelihoods of vanilla farmers in Madagascar focused on developing cocoa as a supplemental source of income, started by Barry Callebaut and Prova in 2016, is being expanded. All vanilla extract Barry Callebaut sources for the European market is now 100 % sustainable.

Vanilla farmers in Madagascar are heavily dependent on vanilla prices. When the price is low, many of them struggle to make ends meet. In order to diversify and stabilize their income streams, Prova and Barry Callebaut, supported by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), have teamed up to support vanilla farmers in introducing cocoa trees on their farm, providing training to improve the productivity and quality of both vanilla and cocoa while also funding and supporting local communities through social, health and education programmes.

As part of their Forever Chocolate strategy to make sustainable chocolate the norm, Barry Callebaut are committed to having 100 % sustainable ingredients in all their products by 2025. The project they started in 2016 in Bemanevika/Madagascar has proven to be a highly successful driver of 100 % sustainable vanilla. Despite the challenges created by tropical cyclone Enawo in 2017, volatile vanilla prices and a global pandemic, the collaboration with Prova has exceeded all expectations and a second phase is now being launched.