Updates as of June 2021
We have increased our member count to approximately 1460 members, making our production capacity around 60 MT of certified vanilla. We are able to provide the exact GPS coordinates of 571 of our vanilla plantations. This step took quite some planning, team work and dedication to accomplish. It is also critical for Organic and Rainforest Alliance certification and enables us to increase the traceability of our vanilla products.
After the audit in February of this year, we renewed our organic certification for our vanilla production. Then in May our local Malagasy team supported the farmers by giving them a monetary advance on the coming crop to support them during the intercrop period. Many families in the vanilla farming community encounter financial problems during the green campaign, as they only receive payment after harvesting their produce. In the past, this has often led to early harvesting of the vanilla beans, which in turn has a negative impact on the quality. By providing a pre-payment to the farmers, the necessity of early harvesting is eliminated. Lastly, in early June we completed the requirements, including an audit, for Rainforest Alliance certification.
All of these milestones that we have reached in 2021 are steps to achieve our goal of providing quality vanilla products that are traceable, fair to the farmers, and sustainable through the entire supply chain.
