by Gabriel Flores - Nicaragua, Liam Murphy et Etienne Barbier - Germany

07 August 2007

Antananarivo, Madagascar: For seven consecutive years, Kraft Foods has been partnering with the UN Volunteers (UNV) Corporate/Private Sector programme for two-week corporate volunteer assignments.

One of the missions this year requested support for a small jam-making factory called IRAY (IRAY), located in Antananarivo, Madagascar.  The objective was to improve product and packaging quality, as well as develop a new line of products and packaging.  The director, Ms Eléonore Rabemananjara, an acute business woman with a business plan for growth, recognized that she did not have the expertise to improve her products, but couldn’t afford external consultancy support.

This is why she approached the United Nations Development Programme Growing Sustainable Business Project.  The link was established to UNV Headquarters, which had just recently announced the availability of Kraft volunteer assignments.  Within a matter of weeks, a team of three Kraft corporate volunteers were on board, two of whom traveled to Madagascar, while one provided support from a Kraft location.

“The beauty of such UNV corporate volunteering missions is that it helps unlock the ‘common knowledge’ that exists in a large food company like Kraft Foods for the benefit of a small company in one of the poorest countries in the world.”  Gabriel Flores (Nicaragua), Liam Murphy and Etienne Barbier (Germany), were quick to evaluate the needs and means of IRAY and reach out to all the expertise available from Kraft around the world.  This involved experts from a jam factory in Canada, chemical and biological experts in Germany and Machine Engineers in Singapore.

Basic equipment to control quality and process was purchased and the personnel trained on its use.  Product formulations were developed and tested using ingredients available in Madagascar.  Furthermore, packaging was improved, with new labels reflecting the quality of the products better, while the development of a new line of packaging was started.  Packaging equipment suppliers were also approached to develop simple solutions for the needs of IRAY.

Providing expert support is of course critical to the success of these missions.  However, for Gabriel, Liam and Etienne, “the underlying cultural exchange is also a major part of the programme, allowing Kraft experts to gain a wealth of experience.  It is very rewarding, coming from one of the largest food companies in the world, to go back to basics and help a small start-up company build a solid foundation.  We hope we have been able to make a difference in the community.”