Our “Virée” to Madagascar
We took a trip to Madagascar. It’s a golden territory for its wealth of spices, and above all, Guillaume, our Buyer-Explorer, is almost a local child. He knows producers and terroirs accessible only by pirogue or train, and above all he loves this great red island, its traditions and its passions.
He returns from his VIREE with an exclusive Comptoir&co range. She has a taste for work well done, beautiful and good.
Let’s go !
1 – The Madagascar Virée began in Antananarivo, the economic and political capital of the country, perched in the highlands at an altitude of 1 270 m.
2 – First stop at the hibiscus plantations, where our producer welcomed us to show us his fragrant treasure.
3 – He took us to our local partner who ensures the processing, pleased to show us the new vats in which the delicious syrup will be prepared.
4 – This step marks the end of our Journey to the Highlands.
Then, after several hours in the bush, we headed to Toamasina and joined our vanilla producers.
5 – In Toamasina, the farms are modest, on a human scale, and the expertise is well established. It provides a livelihood to many families. It provides a livelihood to many families.
6 – The processing and refining of their vanilla is entrusted to our local partner.
7- Then, we headed towards the Pangalanes Canal to reach the green pepper production areas.
8 – Even during the dry season, the canal is the only way to access the many isolated villages that, far from economic and political centers, owe a great deal to this green treasure.
9 – We are setting up a small processing business in Manakara to diversify their activity. It will enable them to add value to their production and improve their income.
10 – Our Journey continues south to Farafangana, where we have implemented a unique process to offer our clients an extremely rare red pepper : MENABE.
In Malagasy, MENA means “red” and BE means “very.”
11 – Thanks to a bunch-by-bunch selection of the most mature peppers and controlled drying, we obtain such a red and flavorful pepper.
12 – Back to Manakara, we reach by train the landlocked region of the Ikongo highlands, where farmers grow ginger on steep hillsides.
13 – Train is the only way for farmers to evacuate agricultural products, their only source of income.
14 – We come back from our trip to Manakara, a major lychee production center.
The fruit comes from our local partner’s gardens.
15 – They are located close to the workshops that transform fruit into vinegar and paste.
In just a few hours, we go from picking to processing.
Freshness is preserved and losses reduced for this fruit, which often deteriorates on trees due to a lack of preservation methods.
16 – The Malagasy terroir still holds many surprises, and the rural populations still have much to teach us.
We’ll definitely come back to Madagascar for another « Virée » !
