Page 12 - Ameft Journal 2021/1

124 AMEFT 14|202119 www.amefftt.com
INGREDIENTS
(Source: Symrise)
Close to the source, closer to customers’ needs
Sava, a region of northern Mada- gascar, grows 80 % of the world’s vanilla. Being the only company in its industry, Symrise nurtures direct part- nerships with over 7,000 vanilla far- mers in 84 villages in Madagascar. This brings growth and benefits to over 34,000 people in the vanilla communi- ties as well as transparency, traceabi- lity, safety and much-needed security of the supply chain; at the same time bringing the customers and consumers closest to the source.
Growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive which makes it the second-most expensive spice after saf- fron. However, vanilla has a huge de- mand as it is widely used in commer- cial and domestic baking, perfume manufacture, and aromatherapy.
Yannick Leen, Global Competence Director, Vanilla Symrise, says “Vanil- la ranks high among our strategic raw materials. With its complete backward integration, Symrise brings clear be- nefits to its partners at all stages of the production process. The benefits stretch across the entire value chain, from the vanilla farmers and their lo- cal communities, through producers of foods and beverages, who receive
premium vanilla for their products, to the consumers who appreciate the su- perior taste and quality of our products and reassured by the transparency with which they are sourced. ” He says quality and sustainability are becoming increasingly important to create heal- thy and resilient supply chains.
Symrise engages with the vanilla far- ming communities on a daily basis and round the year. This collaboration adds transparency to the products’ origin and growing conditions, mitigates risk and provides certainty in a highly vola- tile and rapidly changing market.
This holistic approach of working di- rectly with known and trusted farmers across the SAVA region in Madagascar and by owning the full transformation process from bean to flavor adds both precision and certainty. The approach benefits the food and beverage indus- try clients and consumers alike. They are increasingly looking for safe sour- ces of ingredients that conform to the highest standards and come with a commitment to responsible produc- tion and consumption, thus contri- buting towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
To bring customers and consumers
closest to the source of premium vanil- la, Symrise runs the complete transfor- mation process from bean to extract. This includes the Symrise vanilla curing facility in Antalaha, Madagascar, where Symrise carefully produces vanilla be- ans according to the traditional curing process.
The Symrise vanilla factory and re- search center in Benavony, Madagas- car provides facilities for the extraction of vanilla and other materials care- fully grown and harvested by partner farmers. The in-country facilities are unique and enable distillation of essen- tial oils as well as vanilla extraction and a quality control laboratory for fast, lo- cal analysis according to international standards.
Closest to the source also means closest to communities. Through its ac- tivities, Symrise empowers farmers to better care for their environment and allows their communities to become more resilient for the future. “We have implemented the sustainable develop- ment program in 2012 with the ob- jective of securing supply, in terms of volume as well as quality”, says Alban Bonnet, Sustainable Development Manager in Madagascar.
Symrise assures to satisfy customers and their consumers by ensuring the highest quality of vanilla and security of supply; creating certainty through a transparent, traceable value chain; and strengthening local communities by sharing value with farmers.