January 24/Tokyo/Press Release -- A strategic joint venture was signed on September 20, 2012, between Ramanandraibe Export Co., the biggest vanilla producer in Madagascar, and Takasago International Corp., a leading flavor and fragrance manufacturer headquartered in Japan.
This significant backward integration brings Takasago in direct contact with the farmers in the heart of the vanilla cultivation zone in the North Eastern part of Madagascar, a vanilla bean exporting country. As a result, Takasago obtains a major competitive advantage in securing this strategic natural raw material, while achieving price stability and cost effectiveness.