Madécasse – Milk Chocolate
2011 Good Food Awards Chocolate Winner
Madécasse is redefining chocolate production so that “bean to bar to wrapper” takes place near the point of origin, the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar. Here, the fermentation and drying process occur at the farm while farmers are taught how to harvest higher quality cocoa beans. This paradigm enables Madécasse to “produce four times more economic impact than fair trade,” thereby creating a “real Madagascar chocolate” and a sustainable chocolate industry in Africa. Unlike typical cocoa plantations which use mono-crop systems, the Ezaka Cooperative practices higher levels of biodiversity by growing banana trees, coconut trees, mango trees, coffee trees, and indigenous hardwood species under the same canopy as the cocoa forest. Madécasse aims to dispel claims that fine chocolate can’t come from Africa by empowering local farmers and chocolate makers through collaboration, connection, and partnership.
Community Awards
Dwight Richmond
Supportive Regional Buyer, Whole Foods Market, Pacific Northwest
Bi-Rite Market
Supportive market in San Francisco, California
Bob Mudawar of Village Market
Supportive retail merchant
