Chocolat Madagascar has been awarded the "Ethical Consumer Best Buy" accolade, underscoring their commitment to ethical practices and enhancing value at the source.
Awarded by EthicalConsumer.org , is a UK independent , not for profit, multistakeholder co-operative founded in 1989 and based in Manchester, UK. Their primary goal is making global businesses more sustainable through consumer pressure.
This recognition is in response to the value added at source model ( Raisetrade model) by creating ORIGIN POSITIVE/ORIGIN PLUS products, aimed at increasing the economic value in Madagascar, where the GDP per capita is markedly lower than in developed countries. This economic gap often results in insufficient tax revenue for crucial services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure in Madagascar.
Traditionally, the global chocolate production model has involved the export of raw cacao from less developed countries to richer economies for processing and branding. This model significantly increases the value of the product in wealthier countries but leaves cacao-producing nations with minimal economic benefits. Raisetrade, established in 2004 and operational in Africa, seeks to counter this trend by fostering market access, chocolate production, and the cultivation of fine cacao in collaboration with the Malagasy Chocolaterie Robert team in Madagascar. This initiative aims to bolster the local economy by generating employment opportunities and ideally mitigating economic migration and political challenges by retaining and increasing value within the country.
Chocolat Madagascar's method of cultivating and producing chocolate locally is reported to generate approximately 400% more value for Madagascar than merely exporting raw cacao. This substantial boost in local value addition demonstrates the potential advantages of processing raw materials in their country of origin.
A representative from Chocolat Madagascar emphasized the importance of supporting least developed economies through investment, training, and marketing to create jobs locally. They highlighted the stark contrast in GDP per capita between Madagascar and Europe, pointing out the societal and migration pressures resulting from this disparity. The representative called for more efforts to bridge the GDP per capita gap by adding more value at the source.
The success of growing and making chocolate in Madagascar (Origin +) in generating significantly more value than exporting raw cacao alone illustrates the impact of such initiatives on the local economy and ethical consumer practices.
For further details on these initiatives and their effects on Madagascar's economy and ethical consumerism, visit Raisetrade.com, EthicalConsumer.org, and Originpositive.com.
For media inquiries, please contact press@chocolatmadagascar.com /
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