Chocolate firm lands £2m China contract

Neil Kelsall

A chocolate producer based in Lancashire has landed a five-year contract with a distributor that will see orders worth over £2m exported to China.

Launched in 2013, the Bilsborrow-based Chocolat Madagascar specialises in ethically sourced, fresh chocolate that is grown, fermented and manufactured in Madagascar, then marketed and distributed from the UK.

The business has won 38 international awards since 2014.

Through its own unique equitable trade model Raisetrade, Chocolat Madagascar partners with cocoa farmers and the Chocolaterie Robert factory in Madagascar to support local development by investing in education, providing job opportunities and bringing international awareness to the country’s produce.

The company’s recent export deal will see refrigerated shipping containers of its chocolate sent to Marvine Trading, a distributor in China that supplies food and drink professionals and retailers.

The deal was secured following the business’ attendance at Food & Hotel China (FHC) in 2017, a Food is GREAT Northern Powerhouse event where Marvine Trading first sampled its ethical chocolate.

A cross-departmental initiative between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Trade, with which Chocolat Madagascar has worked since 2005, the Food is GREAT campaign aims to showcase the talent of UK food and drink abroad and help firms export.

In May Chocolat Madagascar also secured its first order with Germany’s largest supplier to the gourmet food service industry, BOS Foodservice.

Overseas sales currently account for half of Chocolat Madagascar’s annual turnover, thanks to its export activity in Japan, France and the US.

It intends to increase its presence in the US next year, capitalising on the growing demand for fine and fresh chocolate that is suitable for vegans.

The business now expects its turnover to increase by 300% within the next five years.

Neil Kelsall, founding director of Chocolat Madagascar, said: “The core purpose of our business is to create and channel wealth and skills back into Madagascar with British expertise. By bringing award-winning fine quality chocolate to the rest of the world, we share and grow the profits with the people of Madagascar.

“DIT has been vital in our international expansion, most recently into China. Throughout our 14-year relationship, DIT has acted as a guide, enabling us to navigate international markets by providing various workshops and helping us overcome difficulties relating to international property risks, food laws and packaging requirements.

“A push in education around quality chocolate, driven in part by the Academy of Chocolate, is currently leading to more refined consumer taste, similar to that experienced by the coffee market a few years back.

“Now is the perfect time for us to double down our focus on exporting, growing the business and awareness of our ethical model.”

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