Symrise and the Kellogg Company have revealed a joint three-year project in Madagascar to responsibly source 100 percent of Kellogg’s vanilla. Sourcing raw materials came into sharpened focus earlier this year as the COVID-19 outbreak began to impact supply chains, causing businesses to rethink their sourcing strategies. This collaboration shows how significant it is for two major players to operate an integrated supply chain and be close to the source of the “queen of flavors.”

The project enjoys continued success based on a shared collective commitment from both companies. Strong engagement with the vanilla farming communities of Ankavanana, Madagascar, enables farmers and their families to work together towards common goals.

“To continue to strengthen vanilla and its farming communities, Symrise continues to work with different partners to achieve its goals. only with partners, we can reach change at a relevant scale,” Yannick Leen, Global Competence Director Vanilla, Symrise, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“The program drives impact directly at the source of vanilla farming via our integrated supply chain,” adds Leen. The partnership highlights the value of our active and collaborative year-round presence in this unique region. In turn, it ensures the highest quality vanilla, brings certainty and creates shared value for farmers, and ensures the sustainability of supply.”

Challenges amid COVID-19
“We have taken the issue of COVID-19 very seriously internationally and in Madagascar. Our concern has been that in Madagascar, the health system is still developing with little or less access to any form of intensive care facilities that we would regard as normal in developed countries. Thus, we have been particularly sensitive to what we hope remains a low prevalence condition at this time in Madagascar; that said, we continue to monitor the situation closely," Hamish Taylor, Symrise’s Advisor on Sustainability, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

Symrise has worked independently and collectively on this issue to assist the vanilla farming communities under threat from the coronavirus,” Taylor adds. 

Kellogg has joined the program at a critical time when Symrise expands its geographic reach to support the vanilla farmers of Ankavanana. They live in some of the most remote areas within the SAVA region. “These farmers and their families had benefited for the first time from the full Symrise support package, so now is a good time for the partnership,” says Taylor. 

“With vanilla prices now declining, the smaller-scale farmers of the Ankavanana region appreciate Farmer Business School and crop diversification techniques. It supports their ability to upscale their growing of vanilla. With better farm management approaches, they can grow their incomes and strengthen their economic resilience through small animal husbandry techniques and the initial phases of crop diversification,” he explains. 

Global demand for vanilla rises
At the same time, while consumers are looking for more natural taste solutions, global demand for natural vanilla has been growing alongside it. “We have observed that high price levels of vanilla beans over the last years have decreased the global consumption of vanilla beans. We hope that, when prices for vanilla beans go down again, global demand for vanilla beans will receive a new stimulus,” continues Leen. 

Storytelling around vanilla as a product, presents opportunities to make consumers understand how the “farm-to-flavor” ingredient maintains its classic appeal while playing into plant-based and sustainability trends.

“We appreciate it as a rich product with a long tradition. Its production process from farm to flavor is sometimes only little known by consumers. Simultaneously, the story of how small-scale farmers grow vanilla, craft and produce it delivers so many facets that it contains plenty of potential,” he explains. 

On the application side “protein bases definitely belong to the growing segments,” and vanilla will continue as a significant taste player in such developments like dairy alternatives.

In 2019, Kellogg joined the growing “Symrise and Friends” family of private sector partners. They work together to deliver synergistic benefits for the vanilla farming communities and the biodiverse environment in which they live. Kellogg brings extensive experience in Climate Smart Agriculture to the project. The partnership is scaling up for a more significant impact with the other program partners, including Unilever, GIZ and Save the Children.

‘“Responsibly sourcing our ingredients means making a difference from the very start. That’s why we’re working closely with the farmers who grow them,” says Amy Senter, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kellogg Company. “Farmers like those in Madagascar aren’t just growing vanilla for people around the world. They’re cultivating healthy soils, diverse ecosystems and strong communities.”

The value of being “closest to the source”
The fully integrated Symrise approach is based on living close to and working closely with farmers every day to foster good agricultural practices and budget/cash flow management. This empowers farmers to run their farms sustainably and be more financially resilient in a volatile market.

The company’s holistic approach includes training and education within the communities and the introduction of alternative crops. This adds diversity and mitigates risk, says Symrise. Crops include patchouli, vetiver and ginger. The farmers also learn to apply Climate Smart Agriculture practices to rice cultivation, the major subsistence crop for the Malagasy people.

The joint partnership between Symrise and Kellogg provides ongoing engagement and training for over 1,000 Malagasy smallholder vanilla farmers. This helps to improve their livelihoods and protect the fragile environment that they and their families call home.

A global approach to local partnerships
Symrise in Europe and Madagascar worked with Kellogg’s teams in Battle Creek, Michigan, US and Sydney, Australia, with financial support from the Bridging the Gap, SDG Compact with GIZ with match-funding provided by BMZ.

“This partnership has further solidified our strong relationship with Kellogg and helps to enhance the global profile of projects which are essential to the quality and sustainability of our agriculture and can also change attitudes across the world,” continues Leen. “We look forward to building on this and many other relationships as we help create a more sustainable future.”

By Elizabeth Green