Chocolat Madagascar

The finest quality chocolate from Madagascar

The island of Madagascar is larger than France and Belgium combined. It produces only 0.1% of the world’s cocoa – but that cocoa is very high quality.

Chocolat Madagascar is produced in Madagascar and packed in the factory of Chocolaterie Robert. It is family owned and due to strong historic ties between Madagascar and France, Chocolat Robert and Chocolat Madagascar are sold in Paris by family members. And although the brands originate from the same factory, they are very different in quality (and in price).

The Chocolat Robert brand has existed since 1940 – in Madagascar only. The brand has been owned by the Ramanandraibe family (cocoa plantation owners since 1920) since 1970. To expand their horizons and grow their company they started exporting their chocolate in 2013, under a new brand name: Chocolat Madagascar. This bold move was assisted by Neil Kelsall, who had done projects in Madagascar before, and who insisted: if you want to be successful outside Madagascar, you have to make the absolute finest chocolate. Both with regard to taste, as with regard to fairness for the farmers. Which they did!

Cocoa was introduced to Madagascar around 1822, brought there from the islands that were then called the Dutch East Indies. Cocoa trees were at first planted in the rainforests on the north eastern coast of the island, near Ivoloina and Vohibinany. But because that part of Madagascar is vulnerable to cyclones, the major centre of cocoa cultivation shifted westward around 1900 to the rainforests of the Sambirano valley.

In 2012, Chocolaterie Robert replanted 100,000 cocoa trees on the east coast in Vohibinany, with the first harvests in 2016. And in 2015, the 1,726-hectare MAVA plantation was purchased, stretching across Madagascar’s upper and lower Sambirano Valley. This plantation comprises eight farms each offering different terroir cocoa: Ankidony, Ambalahonko, Ambohimena Nord, Ambohimena Sud, Antsamala, Maliolo, Ambodivato and Ottange. Chocolat Madagascar has won many international awards during its short existence.