A mad passion for fruit

FRESH produce is one of Madagascar’s export products, and in recent years the country’s fruit processing sector has been witnessing expansion albeit under some challenging conditions. One of the newcomers in the industry is HavaMad.

Established in 2013, HavaMad is helping bolster Magagascar’s agro-processing sector by turning raw materials into 100% natural market-ready products. Through its products, the company aims to promote the country’s high quality fruits in both local and international markets. But the innovative fruit processing company’s drive does not stop there.

HavaMad is strongly emphasising its contribution towards the development of Fair Trade and works in close collaboration with a network of local farmers. The company’s core product, Jus’tement 100% Pure Pineapple juice, for example, is made from the fruit picked at full maturity, grown by farmers located in the highlands of the country. The company has the capacity to process mango and litchi juices, individually or in a variety of combinations with pineapple juice, tailored specifically for the target market.

In this exclusive interview, manager Adrien Jacque speaks about this exciting new concept for Madagascar and on the company’s plans to further develop the Madagascan fruit processing industry.

Adrien Jacque, manager of HavaMad

FMJE: What is the story behind HavaMad’s new venture?
Madagascar exports a lot of raw produce, only to buy it back once processed abroad. At the same time, arable land pollution is increasing around the world. As a result of food safety concerns and rapidly growing demand, Madagascar’s potential is a “hatching egg”. It was with this notion that we decided to create a local fruit processing industry, specifically targeting the international market.

As such, we established HavaMad to take full advantage of our engineering know-how of high safety standards and teaming with the local farmers in an organic farming venture, therefore adding value to the region, contributing towards poverty reduction and promoting the Fair Trade spirit. Obviously, our prime objective is to give greater exposure to the high quality of Malagasy fruits, in both Madagascar and the international market. Our pineapples and litchis are organically certified by Ecocert under the European regulation UE-EOS V3.1.

FMJE: Is there a special formulation for your beverage?
Our fruit juices are 100% natural, without any additives, preservatives, dyes or added sugars. We produce juice and purees for both the local and export market – in one litre glass bottles and 220 litre drums and will soon be making the product available in five litre aseptic bags. Our ecological approach is again demonstrated by using glass bottles, which can be recycled indefinitely, as well as other materials that are recyclable.

Jus’tement 100% Pure Pineapple juice

FMJE: Did the concept take off as easily as you had expected?
Sadly, nothing is easy. Although we indeed have the first mover advantage, we have faced several local constraints that are, at times, disheartening. However, we recently exhibited at SIAL Paris and received tremendous attention for our juices. Visitors from around the world found our products very tasty and unique.

FMJE: What challenges have you faced along the way?
We have had to put a seamless system, setting up our own transportation of fruit from the plantations to the factory, as there is no structure in Madagascar that permits any kind of subcontracting. Developing and maintaining the production, therefore, requires a lot of energy to spend on non-core competencies.

FMJE: Given these constraints, how do you assure consistent supply? Are certain materials hard to come by?
Yes, but HavaMad’s commitment is to source raw materials directly from the grassroots. We rely on a network of hundreds of farmers, organised into cooperatives. Our Sourcing Officers have a direct and transparent relationship with these cooperatives to manage the orchards, from which they select only the best fruit from a variety of areas in Madagascar. We guarantee fair remuneration for the work of our producers. This allows them and their families to live with dignity in their work and look to the future more serenely.

FMJE: Please tell us about production and quality control at your facilities.
We develop juice with healthy raw materials composed of fresh, ripe fruit. To achieve the highest quality control standards and traceability of our produce, special attention is paid to the entire chain, from cultivation to consumption. Our manufacturing components therefore stretch from the reception and selection of fruit, to the juice extraction, to packaging and storage, and finally, to distribution.

Daily collection from our orchards allows for a very short time between harvesting and pressing. Our 1 500m2 processing facility, based in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, houses a state-of-the-art extraction system that transforms a variety of fruits from raw product into juice and purees. This then undergoes a specialised heat treatment (again tailored to each type of product) to extend the shelf life but still preserving the organoleptic qualities of the juice. Our facility also accommodates a bottling line for the finished products.

Finally, we have a highly skilled team with in-depth knowledge of extracting the best from our raw materials in accordance with international standards. HavaMad is in the process of obtaining ISO certification (ISO 22000:2005), the international standard of best practice that demands compliance with the HACCP requirements (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) of best practice in good hygiene and production practices. In order to achieve this, we expect all our staff and shareholders to respect the company’s true spirit of “security in quality”, from following the recognised procedures and instructions, to filing detailed record to ensure the security of product compliance, as well as good hygiene and manufacturing practices.

FMJE: From where do you source your packaging and equipment?
All our packaging and equipment have been sourced from recognised suppliers in Europe.

FMJE: Where do market your products?
Currently, we only sell the juices in Madagascar, however, we are studying the dynamics of different markets in Africa – and even further abroad – and will be soon embarking on a major expansion programme. Most of our finished products are intended for the international market, while locally, we market our finished goods directly from the factory and through selected retail and wholesale outlets. Our juices are also served in numerous hotels and restaurants in Antananarivo.

FMJE: What is your strategy for staying competitive?
Our products respond perfectly to international market requirements, in terms of consistent quality, attractive appearance, easy handling and a very fair price. As part of our commitment to the environment, we require our producers to adopt a natural method of production to maintain our biological certification with Ecocert. These producers are scrupulous in their commitment to the quality of their produce, which is cultivated without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and only picked at full maturity.

FMJE: What is the company’s expected annual production volume?
We have the capacity to produce 5,000 tons of juice annually. In our first year, we are expecting to achieve around 1,500 tons, but definitely foresee reaching full capacity on our third year.

FMJE: What is your R&D focus?
We are highly aware that our performance depends on innovation and our production facility incorporates a laboratory run by professionals who are constantly researching ways to create novel products, specifically tailored for each of our clients and their markets. Our products are of pure Malagasy origin, featuring the highest biological quality and incomparable flavours.

FMJE: Is there special storage needed for your product to be transported to market?
All our products are ambient, which means that they do not need refrigeration. In fact, the semi-finished products have to be reprocessed and packed by our industrial clients for resale to their own markets.

HavaMad
A: Futura Business Park, Andranomena, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
T: +261 (0) 20.22.427.49
E: adrien@havamad.mg
W: www.havamad.mg