Agriculture and viticulture Madagascar

Mado la Camerounaise offers a truly fascinating tour of the Millot plantations, created by Lucien Millot at the beginning of the ^20th century. The French chocolate maker Valrhona bought 40% of the plantation and mainly grows cocoa, which is exported to the best restaurants in the world, but also spices (pepper, allspice, combava, etc.), vanilla, lemongrass, patchouli, vetiver, ravintsara and ylang-ylang. It is possible to have lunch on the spot (La Maison du Planteur): table d'hôtes atmosphere and meal according to the inspiration (fish with combava, chicken coconut, chicken carry, ravitoto and dessert... with chocolate of course!) Mado also offers simple but comfortable guest rooms. The visit is very enriching and allows you to meet the employees and to see the different stages of the cocoa harvest, from the tree to the finishing (just before exporting) through the drying and maceration... This is why the visits take place in the morning. You will also have the opportunity to discover the process of distillation of essential oils. We do not hide it to you, Mado has a sacred character (that passes or that breaks, we adore it!). She has the merit of employing 600 people (and covering the social benefits of their families) and just to support this sumptuous social and economic life, a stop in the Millot plantation is particularly recommended!

The plantations of Sahambavy (355 ha, of which 94 are managed by the farmers) are located in a very pleasant setting: a nice half-day walk, or even a little more. It is an excellent tea, very British, born in 1978 and exploited since 1996 by a limited company, Sidexam. About 20 tons of leaves are produced per day, picked by hand (between 50 and 100 kg per person); 5 kg of leaves give about 1 kg of tea, after no less than 5 processing steps. Almost all the production is exported (at least 80%), to Kenya.

An original discovery, less than two kilometers from the road to Betafo. Created in 1947, the brewery produces THE favorite beer of the Malagasy people: the THB Pilsener. The largest brewery in the Indian Ocean, its annual production is around one million hectoliters. It is part of the STAR group, a subsidiary of the French group Castel since 2011. It will take you about an hour and a half for the visit, note that a special outfit (pants and closed shoes, not always obvious in hot weather) is required.

This coconut grove stretches along the beach to the north and south of the town. Hybrid species of coconut palms are grown here. The visit is divided into 3 sites: the reception area, near the airport, where you can buy your entrance ticket and visit the 3 artisanal processing workshops (straw, trunk and bark); the plantation, 5 km to the south, where you can observe the male flower emasculation process and the nursery; then, a few km further south, the copra ovens and the coconut oil distillation workshop. Insist on seeing it all - it's a fascinating visit!

The domain of Ambohimanitra spreads over 60 hectares. You will learn all about vanilla, but not only: clove, pink berries, ylang-ylang, pepper and cinnamon scents are on the program... You will discover the vanilla plantation and the different varieties of vanilla trees, as well as the nurseries of local varieties. The guided tour details the process of fertilization of the vanilla flower as well as all the phases that make the flower become a vanilla bean. A vanilla-scented meal is finally served on the terrace with a beautiful view!