BIOVEGAN’s cOOperative „VanillAMI“
The COOPERATIVE stands for the sustainable cultivation of bourbon vanilla as well as social and ecological commitment in Madagascar.
The origin and quality of our raw material plays a central role for BIOVEGAN – this also applies to our bourbon vanilla. It is particularly important to us to support the farmers and their families in their daily work and to guarantee them a regular and secure income.
A COOPERATIVE is born...
BIOVEGAN has maintained close relations with the vanilla farmers in the north of Madagascar since 2015 and sources the bourbon vanilla directly from them. The cooperation has been intensified and expanded over the years. In 2020, the time has finally come: the first cooperative “VanillAMI”, founded completely independently by BIOVEGAN, comes into being. BIOVEGAN generates the funds to support the farmers through direct trade. Since exporters and importers are no longer involved, this money benefits the farmers. Among other things, the farmers’ secure income helps to reduce the clearing of the tropical rainforests, which have become scarce.
But here are all the activities of the cooperative at a glance:
About 500 farming families
BIOVEGAN guarantees to purchase the complete harvest of about 500 farming families and this way ensures a fair, secure and regular income for the farmers.
Quality
The traditional knowledge of the population and the wet and hot rain forests of Madagascar are the ideal basis for the tastiest BIOVEGAN bourbon vanilla. To further support the farmers both in business management and in optimising the cultivation and harvesting of bourbon vanilla, 17 trainers were hired and professionally equipped. This enabled the farmers to increase their crop yields and to use the profits generated from their vanilla sales more sustainably.
Nature
BIOVEGAN helps to maintain and restore regional biodiversity through reforestation projects in order to enable small-scale, sustainable agriculture.
Infrastructure
The construction and expansion of transport routes as well as electricity and water supply is also part of VanillAMI.
Education
Biovegan helps to build schools and regularly supplies the schoolchildren with school materials – such as backpacks, notebooks and pencils.
Health
As part of the cooperative VanillAMI, we established partnerships with local hospitals and medical staff to provide safe healthcare to the farmers and their families.
Targeted support for women
The local women receive additional support. This enables them to generate their own income and thus help to feed their families. The women supply farmers, buyers and customers with meals and drinks during the vanilla harvest, vanilla trade and vanilla sales. For this supply, the women are paid according to the work done.
