Visiting the plantation: meeting our stakeholders

Getting a taste for sharing cultures

The plantation trip, a human experience

In 2019, we once again organized a visit to a plantation in Madagascar, giving employees and customers the chance to visit the cocoa fields and meet our producers. What made this trip special was that the participants were able to discover in detail the sustainability actions the Millot plantation teams carry out on site as part of their QTR (Quality Traceability Responsibility) policy.

Once they had returned, our employees also led a workshop during Sustainable Development Week to explain to other employees precisely what is being done in this area. Since 2013, 233 partner customers and 153 employees have gone to meet our producers. They have looked at their profession differently ever since, changing the way they do their job.

Joël Boyer-Perreira, a Valrhona customer who took part in the 2019 Madagascar plantation trip

“It was a rare opportunity and a privilege for us to take part in the trip to Madagascar in 2019.
I came to improve my knowledge and to get a stronger idea of what cocoa is, how it is grown and how it is processed.
Once we met them and visited the plantations, we got a better understanding of how influential producers’ personal involvement is. It's not just a job, it's a real vocation. The actions underway to try find the best ways to improve living conditions for those working in cocoa are proof that responsibility is genuinely being taken.”

After traveling to the Millot plantation, Joël shared his experience with his customers through a 4-month exhibition entitled Discovering Chocolate. It gave him the chance to express the emotions he felt in Madagascar. He regularly talks to his customers about projects taking place in producer countries.