Adventure of 5 friends in Madagascar
OR 94 HECTARES OF BOURBON VANILLA
Did you know that the highest quality Bourbon vanilla only grows in Madagascar?
It is characterized by a uniquely sweet, rich flavor and smell, appreciated by culinary and perfume enthusiasts. Vanilla plants here require very specific growing conditions, and there are no automated shortcuts in vanilla farming. Each plant must be nurtured and processed by hand.
That's why the idea of four childhood friends to create a business in Madagascar seemed like a unique challenge. We – Donatas, Ramūnas, Saulius, and Robertas – have been friends since the age of four. In 2016, together with Donatas's father Aurelijus, we accepted a close friend's offer to join a developing business in Madagascar.
We began with just 1 hectare of land for our vanilla plantation.
Aurelijus was the first to visit Madagascar, and his heart was immediately conquered: “This place is heaven on earth. The country is insanely interesting, full of lush nature, its shores are washed by an unfathomable ocean and the locals are always ready to welcome you into their homes with a smile." Aurelijus soon realized that he saw his future in Madagascar.
Thus began a long and difficult journey in a foreign country without knowing the language or local culture, armed only with a dream in our hearts and an idea in our heads. Our determination never wavered, and we stayed focused on our vision – to grow something extraordinary.
The challenges of VANILECO began straight away. One of the toughest ongoing obstacles was the state of the roads in Madagascar: they are practically non-existent. Five times a week, the team needed to venture into the country to buy the materials for compost and mulch. The situation was made even more difficult by the rain, as the roads became practically impassable, and cargo equipment had to be constantly repaired.
But nothing has ever stopped our team. After five years of hard work, we’re proud to have built a skilled and dedicated community, all sharing a common vision. We work 7 days a week and have proven to ourselves and others that the team is innovative, creative, and capable of coping with all the difficulties that arise, which is why we are incredibly proud of our achievements.
Today, with a growing team of like-minded Malagasy people, we manage 94 hectares of thriving vanilla plantations.
Responsibility, honesty and community
VANILECO pays the greatest attention to the quality of bourbon vanilla. We carefully nurture every plant to ensure maximum satisfaction for every customer.
Before starting to sell our products, we gathered a very strong team of agronomists and vanilla specialists, which included experts from Europe and Madagascar. Thanks to them, we discovered a new, more efficient way of growing vanilla and innovative compost. Thanks to these innovations, we get a larger and higher-quality harvest.
However, it was not easy to achieve this. We worked towards this goal for a very long time and created experimental gardens in which each vanilla liana was planted differently, using different compositions and proportions of compost and mulch for the nutrition of vanilla at different seasons of the year.
We carefully observed the plants until we discovered the best recipe that stimulates the growth of vanilla lianas and increases the amount of vanillin in the beans. And we are currently putting a great deal of effort into creating a new, innovative way of drying vanilla, which will give the vanilla beans an even stronger aroma, a more impressive flavor, and they will be characterized by an even higher amount of vanillin.
When we started the history of VANILECO, we wanted not only to establish a business, but also to leave a deeper footprint, to create not only a good product, but also a common good to benefit the community.
FITIAVANA, TANINDRAZANA, FANDROSOANA
Love, Homeland, Progress
National motto
People behind the scenes
Robertas has gained considerable experience in agricultural management. He is currently one of the directors overseeing the plantations, and his fiancée Ellia helps in this work.
Aurelijus, the managing director of the company, is responsible for the supervision and organization of work in all VANILECO plantations in Madagascar. For many years, he lived in the USA, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the main management team is based in Vilnius, it consists of Donatas, Ramūnas, and Saulius, who also travel to Madagascar and spend 3-4 months a year there in order to stay in touch with the daily life of the company.
Seven more team members from Europe also live in Madagascar, who take care of the plantations, their safety, sustainability, and technical maintenance.
VANILECO feels like home in Madagascar. We fell in love with the people, nature of this country, and we want to create as much good as possible here, help children prepare for the future by receiving a proper education, and contribute to the growth of Madagascar's economy.
