ETHICAL SOURCING

Our objective is to provide support in education and specific sustainable agricultural practices to Malagasy farmers, to ensure production of the highest quality vanilla beans and maximise revenues for generations to come.

Extracting high-quality vanilla from beans is complex and dependent on many factors including climate, soil conditions, cultivation as well as drying and curing methods. 80% of the world's vanilla comes from Madagascar so it is vital to Malagasy farmers to have sustainable resources and optimised skills to produce crops of high quality and value, today and in the future. However, easy access to education is sometimes difficult in Madagascar.

To help ensure this, we have pledged to assist more than 2,000 families in rural vanilla-growing areas, through the building of 14 schools by 2014. The schools are built using local, renewable materials and we are working in partnership with local villagers to ensure that they have the necessary support to maintain and repair them in the future. The project had an encouraging start in 2010 with the successful completion of four schools in the villages of Ambohimitombo, Nosivolo, Morafeno and Ambalamahongo.

Our Givaudan agronomist has also worked with local farmers on optimum vanilla growing and harvesting practices such as: preventing a specific root fungus with the potential to destroy vines; the proper maintenance of 'host trees' on which the vanilla vines climb; and the implementation of a new Givaudan-patented curing process. We also work alongside the Malagasy villagers to reduce their reliance on rice imports by intensifying their own rice production - a main staple of the Malagasy diet.

Furthermore, in our drive to optimise the sustainability throughout our supply chain, Givaudan is now officially fair trade certified for vanilla in our East Hanover, US facility. Some of the price premium paid is being returned to the producers. The fair trade beans we have procured can be converted into fair trade-certified extracts for developing vanilla flavours for our customers.