Société Millot | Valrhona

Madagascar

Andzavibe, Ambanja
13°36’49.3”S
48°26’2.3”E

Cocoa growing in Madagascar

The Sambirano region, on Madagascar's northwest coast, is home to traditional cocoa growing. The region's soil and climate are ideal for growing cocoa, enabling chemical-free farming. The region’s dense agroforestry systems foster a rich biodiversity and contribute to the preservation of our natural environment.
By growing cocoa the traditional way, preserving the unique terroir, and supporting the development of local communities, we are shaping a future where Madagascar's Sambirano cocoa continues to be recognized for its exceptional quality and its positive impact on the Malagasy land and people.

In 1906, Lucien Millot created the plantation in Andzavibe that today still bears his name. The Société Millot manages nearly 1,300 hectares and employs almost 500 people.

An exclusive partnership for over 30 years

Valrhona has had a relationship in Madagascar with Millot for over 30 years. Today, we have exclusive purchasing rights over all of the cocoa grown on the Millot plantation – an organic certified plantation spanning around 600 hectares – as well as over the cocoa grown by a network of local producers. In 2016, Valrhona and Millot decided to take their historic partnership even further, and Valrhona became a shareholder in the Société Millot. This significant investment allows us to cement our shared ambitions and together build our long-term development plan.

38years Partnership

Start of the partnership : 1986 - Valrhona became a shareholder in 2016

Exclusive right to the cocoa

from Société Millot

1.359 Producers

And 500 employees

Our social and environmental actions together

2014 - 2018

Renovation of a village for Millot employees and their families

2015

Construction of a primary healthcare center, providing Millot employees and their families with rapid access to healthcare, including consultations and free medication

2017

Launch of an agroforestry project in North East Madagascar. The aim is to educate producers about growing cocoa with other crops such as vanilla, thus reducing their vulnerability to the extreme fluctuations in the price of vanilla

2021

300 producers completed questionnaires on the themes of water, health, income and education to get a sense of people’s needs and build community projects for the coming years.

2021 - 2022

Carrying out a carbon assessment (including emissions and sequestration), covering the whole process from the producer’s plot to the cocoa’s port of departure and forming a plan to reduce emissions.

Cocoa from Millot has a carbon footprint of 0.57kg of CO2 per kilo of cocoa (measured from the producer’s plantation to the Valrhona chocolate factory), compared with an average of 23kg CO2 per kilo for all cocoa.