This passion gave rise to the desire to control the entire value chain of the spice and herb trade. Historically, LHG\u2019s core business has encompassed sourcing, processing, and sales to professionals. Creating a agricultural cooperative<\/strong> pepper production in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe<\/strong> is a concrete example of the internalization of the function sourcing<\/strong>, while reaffirming the company's commitment to an organic and responsible approach<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How did the cooperative get started? Why invest in this remote region of the Gulf of Guinea? How can we develop an agricultural system that respects both people and nature? Find out The origins of this project<\/strong>, under the watchful eye of its main driving force: Gilles Talrich, president of LHG. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Located in the heart of the Gulf of Guinea, equidistant from the coasts of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe<\/strong> is a former Portuguese colony that has been independent since 1975 and has a population of just over 200,000. With an area of 1,000 km\u00b2, 2.5 times smaller than R\u00e9union, it is one of the smallest countries in the world. Consisting of two main islands, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe, the archipelago represents a a true showcase of unspoiled nature<\/strong> thanks to its geographic isolation, its equatorial tropical climate, and its volcanic soil, which give it lush vegetation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The history of this country is closely linked to that of the triangular trade and the slave trade carried out by Portuguese colonists beginning in the 15th century. The economy at that time was dominated by sugarcane cultivation<\/strong>. In 1822, the archipelago became the first place of refuge for cocoa seedlings<\/strong> outside South America with the importation of the\u2019amelonado<\/em>, a species endemic to Brazil. In fact, it would be the only African territory where this type of cacao would acclimatize; hybrid species had to be created to enable viable agricultural production on the rest of the continent. With an annual production of 36,000 metric tons, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe was the world\u2019s leading exporter of cocoa in 1913 and earned the nickname \u00abChocolate Island.\u00bb. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n This small country is now a democratic and pluralistic parliamentary republic<\/strong>, but operating primarily with the help of the European Union<\/strong>. \u00ab This explains why launching and developing an agricultural project in this remote area requires an extraordinary alignment of the stars <\/em>\u00bb explains Gilles Talrich. And that's exactly what happened in 2007\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was in November 2007 that LHG developed an interest in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe, spurred on by its brand-new owner, Gilles Talrich. \u00ab We had met the French company Kaoka<\/strong>, which specializes in cocoa, is interested in expanding its operations in the archipelago. The island\u2019s location\u2014completely isolated in the Gulf of Guinea\u2014means that the cacao trees are pure, uncrossed varieties: there has been no cross-pollination, giving them exceptional quality. This chocolate manufacturer explained to us that the EU, through donor organizations, was funding <\/em>agricultural development projects, including a project on pepper. <\/em>\u00bb <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gilles then decided to take a stand and settled in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe for the first time that same year to meet with the project\u2019s initiator, a local, Francisco Ramos<\/strong>. He is an agricultural engineer and the manager of the pepper development project. \u00ab But to develop a project\u2014that is, to bring together farmers on this island and encourage them to grow pepper\u2014there had to be the certainty of a market for the product.<\/em> \u00bbAt that time, pepper was available on the archipelago but in such small quantities that the country imported 15 metric tons of pepper from Portugal every year.\". So we had to build everything from scratch. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In February 2008, LHG received a visit from the company\u2019s CEO H\u00e9naff<\/strong> who wants to meet with the new management. The famous Breton p\u00e2t\u00e9 brand, a long-standing partner, has announced its intention to develop its own raw material production chain in order to \u00absee the pepper grow.\u00bb The circle was complete: \u00ab I presented the S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 project to him, and we quickly reached an agreement: he committed to buying the pepper by setting up a pre-financing system. <\/strong>In other words, the farmer committed to producing a certain annual quantity of pepper, and H\u00e9naff pre-financed the annual harvest. So the farmer worked and was paid at the same time. At the end of the year, the pepper was exported. It was received in Marseille and delivered to H\u00e9naff\u2014except that the farmer had already received his advance payment.<\/em> \u00bb <\/p>\n\n\n\n This system has been the key to success in motivating farmers<\/strong>, thanks to the genuine commitment of both parties to the purchase. \u00ab Because the problem for all these farmers in those countries is that they\u2019re being taken for a ride and exploited. Here, we showed them that we were committed, that we trusted them, and that we\u2019d be there every year so they could plant pepper plants.<\/em> \u00bb <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was followed by a long-term process of farm development, since a pepper plant takes four years to become productive. Throughout this time, the two companies therefore divided the responsibilities: while H\u00e9naff provided the financing, LHG provided on-site support as an agricultural partner<\/strong>. This role involved defining agricultural specifications and the expected quality standards, as well as training farmers in pepper cultivation and organic methods to obtain certification. The pepper must be recognized as being of quality<\/strong> and above all from organic farming.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00ab S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 was a completely original creation<\/strong>, there was no pepper export industry\u2014we had to start from scratch. You could say the stars aligned: discovering a country just as I\u2019d taken over the company, meeting H\u00e9naff, who supported us in this production partnership, and establishing a sustainable pepper production process. It was an opportunity we were able to seize and build upon. That sort of thing happens only once in a lifetime.<\/em> \u00bb <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u00abWhatever you can do or dream you can do, you can begin to do. Boldness contains within itself genius, power, and magic. Start now.\u00bb \u2013 Goethe.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A source of pride for the CEO, the cooperative has been in existence for over 10 years\u2014not without its challenges, but in line with the company\u2019s values: to provide exceptional products while respecting both people and nature.<\/strong> This pursuit of quality and the challenges we had to overcome: that\u2019s what we invite you to discover in our second article. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Depuis sa cr\u00e9ation en 1943, le Laboratoire d\u2019Herboristerie G\u00e9n\u00e9ral n\u2019a eu de cesse de collaborer avec des producteurs reconnus pour la qualit\u00e9 de leurs produits et [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-temoignages-clients"],"yoast_head":"\nS\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe, a pristine archipelago with exceptional terroir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"S\u00e3o](\"https:\/\/etwtu96h48v.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/P1090822-1024x768.jpg?strip=all&sharp=1\")
2007: First contact between LHG and S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"S\u00e3o](\"https:\/\/etwtu96h48v.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_6100-1024x576.jpg?strip=all&sharp=1\")
H\u00e9naff, a providential partner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"S\u00e3o](\"https:\/\/etwtu96h48v.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/P1000368-1024x768.jpg?strip=all&sharp=1\")
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/etwtu96h48v.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/P1100003-1024x768.jpg?strip=all&sharp=1\")