PROVA, a recognized player in the vanilla extract industry, is actively working towards the development of a more responsible and ethical supply chain in Madagascar. The goal is to support local communities by rolling out a program for Sustainable Vanilla in the Sava region of Madagascar and launching a new range of natural extracts from plantations in this area.
Since 1946, PROVA has been a story of people and vanilla. Our existing Care & Act program is the result of our commitment to a taste of excellence and respect for others which have instinctively guided our company. Leading with the first certified organic range of vanilla extracts since 1996, PROVA aspires to build and promote a sustainable industry.
PROVA's goal is inherently designed to have a positive impact at the source of its raw materials, Madagascar, proactively focusing its commitment on sustainability and respect for the Malagasy people, their work and their environment.
"In 2013, we decided to get involved in the fields of Madagascar to be as close as possible to the associations of farmers, through our NGO, Sustainable Vanilla Bemanevika, which works in the areas of education, health, nutrition, and the conservation of biodiversity. It was this initial experience that prompted us to extend our involvement to other associations partnering with committed exporters, an initiative that reflects our global Care & Act sustainability philosophy," explains Muriel Acat, CEO.
Driven by the ambition to go even further, the company started a new initiative to accompany its vanilla offering. By virtue of PROVA’s expertise, ties to the farmers, and knowledge of local issues, the company has partnered with Promabio, a committed player in the Sava region, to deploy its new program for Sustainable Vanilla. This program is designed around five, bold objectives, measured by sixty indicators that ensure the quality and traceability of all its actions:
- Sustain and improve the skills of the 260, already-trained farmers working two hundred acres of cultivation.
- Offer farmers among the best wages on the market, based on the recommendations of the SVI (Sustainable Vanilla Initiative), of which PROVA is a participant.
- Ensure total transparency, from batches of pods to farmers.
- Preserve the environment. Raise awareness among the Malagasy farmers about the preservation of nature and the risks associated with deforestation, through a co-created training plan. Simultaneously, study projects for the reforestation of endemic species.
- Aid in the development of specific projects that support local communities, by carefully identifying and prioritizing the competing needs of villages. PROVA plans to invest in projects that could range from creating access to drinking water, health, or education, to supporting efforts promoting better nutrition for children—More than 10,000 people are currently affected by malnutrition.
To deepen the impact of this initiative, the program for Sustainable Vanilla is customizable, such that it allows partner customers to engage in additional local initiatives that might better align with their goals and values. In fact, it would allow them to set up their own, customized project reflecting their goals, blended with PROVA’s CSR strategy. This could, for example, mean the construction of a water well if the social commitment of the brand is related to water, or building a school if the commitment is to education.
This innovative and inspiring approach reflects the deep, human character of PROVA, a company with the longstanding tradition of sustainable development in Madagascar. It brings us all together on a journey with the goal at its heart of protecting this precious source of the Malagasy lifestyle and raw materials.