by Chloé Sueur

13 December 2010

Antananarivo, Madagascar: For chocolate lovers, the April mission to Madagascar by Dr. Jane Leland (U.S.A.) and Mr. Walter Waibel (Switzerland) of Kraft Foods, under the UNV corporate/private sector scheme, must seem like a dream come true.  But it was not a dream.   Their real assignment was to go to this beautiful tropical country for two weeks to improve the quality of chocolate production and develop new chocolate products for the local JB Company. 

Jane had come from Chicago, where she leads strategic taste programmes within Kraft’s Global Research, Development and Quality section.  Walter had come from Lörrach, Germany, where he is a product developer within Kraft Food Europe’s Research and Development team in its Chocolate Continental Europe section.

Both had been motivated to volunteer so they could share their knowledge, discover other cultures, grow from their new experience and establish a worldwide network in their field.

During their mission, the two volunteers became a part of the JB team.  Their priorities were to reduce the company’s costs and improve the quality of its products. Another objective was to build the capacity of the company and its staff to develop new chocolate products.

“First we listened, then, we asked questions to confirm or broaden our understanding,” said Jane. “This helped to establish a relationship and made it easier to bring new ideas and apply them as appropriate.” 

“There are different ways to solve problems.  Others’ viewpoints are important too,” Walter added.  

The volunteers gave the JB team specialized training in chocolate technology.  This approach was greatly appreciated by the company. So were the results. 

“It was amazing!” said Mr. Simon Rakotoarison, JB’s Technical Director. “I thought it wasn’t possible to improve the quality and reduce the cost.   The volunteers made it possible, and in addition, this approach could be applied to other products.”

Everyone demonstrated enviable dedication and diligence during the well-attended review session at which new products were tasted! 

Since 2001, UNV has enjoyed an active partnership with Kraft Foods within the UNV corporate/private sector scheme.   As volunteers, the company’s personnel provide technical assistance in food processing to local development projects and promote volunteerism in countries where UNV is active.  In almost every year since 2001, experts from Kraft Foods have come to Madagascar to apply their knowledge to build the capacity of local clients who develop and process products such as chocolate, coffee, salads, jams and snacks.

The mission to the JB Company was one of two potential missions to Madagascar which the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) had identified as likely to benefit from Kraft Food expertise this year.

On the one hand, Jane Leland and Walter Waibel found their work in Madagascar challenging. This was mainly because the resources at their disposal, for example, the types and numbers of equipment available, were quite different compared to those used in their home environments. 

On the other hand, the volunteers greatly appreciated the ease with which changes within the company could be made.   “As a much smaller company than Kraft, with R&D and manufacturing all located in Antananarivo, JB’s decision-making process is quicker,” said Jane.

“Also, work processes tend to be more flexible owing to less automation and more open regulations which facilitate changes,” said Walter.   

The volunteers’ expertise added to Madagascar’s chocolate production capacity and helped boost its capacity to create new chocolate products and meet international food quality standards.  Moreover, the volunteers’ experience demonstrated the added value of UNV and volunteerism within the private sector.

This experience reinvigorated the spirit of facilitating linkages and cooperation with and among Volunteering Involving Organizations and the private sector.  It will be one of the action pillars for the celebration of International Volunteer Day in 2010 in Madagascar.

The impact of the volunteers’ work did not end with their mission. They also made many recommendations to be applied for future improvement. “Their application will depend on our development strategy as some of the recommendations require financial investment,” said Mr. Karim Barday, JB Company’s General Director.