Valrhona Madagascar Tasting Experience

Madagascar is called the big red island. It is the largest African island situated in the Indian Ocean, about 450 km (280 mi) east of the coast of Mozambique and the fourth largest island in the world. With an area of 587,041 km², the island is slightly larger than France, or almost twice the size of the US state of Arizona. Madagascar has a population of more than 22 million inhabitants. The capital and largest city is Antananarivo. Spoken languages are Malagasy and French.  Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. 

Vanilla & Cocoa

Due to the large variety of soil types and climate diversity, farmers are able to grow temperate fruits such as apples, pears, plums, grapes, and citrus, along with tropical produce such as mangoes and lychees, as well as a wide variety of other crops including coffee, cloves, sisal, maize, and tubers. Producing 60% of the global supply, Madagascar is the largest producer of natural vanilla. Madagascar vanilla beans are considered to be the gold standard for quality vanilla beans in the spice world.
On the other hand, Madagascar only produces about 5,000 tons of cocoa a year on about 15,000 hectares (less than 0.1% of the world cacao production), and the beans are considered among the best quality in the world. The combination of the natural minerals, soil, microclimate, and topography provide a unique biome or "terroir" where the Fine cocoa has evolved to produce its exceptional fruity flavor notes of citrus, berries, and dried fruit.

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