MILLOT SA

What MILLOT SA does

MILLOT SA is a Madagascar-headquartered agricultural plantation and primary-processing company founded in 1904 by Lucien Millot in the Ambanja district of the Sambirano plain in northwest Madagascar. The estate cultivates and processes a diversified basket of tropical crops, including cocoa, vanilla, coffee, coprah (coconut), ylang-ylang (via on-site distillation), and cassava. Operations span the full agricultural value chain from cultivation through primary processing — cocoa fermentation and drying, vanilla curing, coprah preparation, and essential-oil distillation — supported historically by on-site infrastructure including factories, worker housing, schools, a church, and a hospital. The current operational footprint is markedly smaller than the historical 50,000+ hectare estate, with reported headcount of approximately 6 employees.

The company's commercial model is business-to-business, supplying raw and semi-processed agricultural inputs into both premium and commodity channels. Its most notable customer relationship is with Valrhona, the French premium chocolate maker, for which it serves as a single-origin cocoa bean supplier. Other crops (vanilla, coffee, coprah, ylang-ylang) are sold through commodity and specialty aroma channels. The estate was sold in 1985 but retained the Millot brand, and as of 2007–2008 operations were managed by Philippe Fontenay. The company's web presence is minimal, hosted on a personal page domain, suggesting a low-profile, relationship-driven commercial operation rather than a digitally marketed enterprise.

Name

MILLOT SA

Legal name

Société Lucien Millot

Website

https://madagascarile.free.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MILLOT SA is a Madagascar-based agricultural estate founded in 1904 that cultivates and processes cocoa, vanilla, coffee, coprah, ylang-ylang, and cassava. It supplies premium single-origin cocoa to Valrhona and operates a vertically integrated plantation on the Sambirano plain in northwest Madagascar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodities

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea, Coffee & Cocoa Farming (Beverage Specialty Crops) (AFAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)

Keywords

• Cocoa cultivation
• Vanilla production
• Agricultural commodities
• Ylang-ylang distillation
• Plantation operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Andzavibé (Ambanja district)

HQ country

Madagascar

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

MILLOT SA (Domaine Millot) operates an agricultural estate in the Sambirano plain of northwest Madagascar, producing and processing premium cocoa, vanilla, coffee, coprah (coconut), ylang-ylang essential oil, and cassava. Cocoa beans from the estate are supplied to Valrhona for premium chocolate production, while ylang-ylang is distilled on-site for the perfumery industry. The estate integrates cultivation with on-site processing, distillation, and export of commodities to industrial buyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cocoa beans (fèves)
• Vanilla
• Coffee
• Coprah (coconut)
• Ylang-ylang essential oil
• Cassava

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ValrhonacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValrhona, a premium French chocolate manufacturer based in Tain-l'Hermitage (14 avenue du Président Roosevelt, BP 40, 26601 Tain l'Hermitage Cedex, Tel: 04 75 07 90 90), uses cocoa beans (fèves) from Domaine Millot in its chocolate products. Valrhona distributes these products through a network of distributors across various cities in France. The Domaine Millot cocoa is considered among the most reputed worldwide, featured on Valrhona's website as a sourced origin.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Symrise: Global flavor and fragrance company that sources vanilla, ylang-ylang, and other natural raw materials from Madagascar and other tropical origins. Comparable as a buyer-processor of the same specialty crops Millot cultivates.
• Valrhona: Premium French chocolate manufacturer and Millot's referenced customer. Operates broadly in the global premium chocolate space with bean sourcing from multiple origins, while specializing in couvertures for pastry and haute cuisine.
• Barry Callebaut: World's largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturer with operations spanning cocoa sourcing, processing, and industrial chocolate production. Comparable as a vertically integrated cocoa player, though focused on bulk rather than single-origin specialty.
• Cacao Barry (part of Barry Callebaut): Premium chocolate brand within Barry Callebaut offering single-origin couvertures and specialty applications. Direct competitor to Valrhona in the chef/pastry couverture segment.

Direct peers

• Guittard Chocolate Company: Family-owned specialty chocolate maker focused on single-origin and high-quality couverture chocolate, with direct sourcing relationships. Comparable as a craft-scale premium chocolate player that competes with Valrhona.
• Madécasse: Madagascar-origin chocolate and vanilla brand that sources cocoa and vanilla directly from Malagasy farmers. Most directly comparable to Millot as a Madagascar-tied single-origin supplier with vertical integration into finished chocolate.
• Norohy: French premium vanilla brand sourcing directly from Madagascar and other origins, with a focus on sustainable, traceable, high-quality vanilla pods. Most directly comparable to Millot's vanilla heritage from the Sambirano region.

Emerging players

• Camellia Plc / Akay Food Ingredients: Specialty vanilla and spice processor with sourcing from Madagascar. Comparable as a downstream buyer and processor of the same Madagascar vanilla and spice crops Millot originally cultivated.
• Lonohana Estate Chocolate: Single-estate Hawaiian chocolate maker that grows, ferments, and produces chocolate from its own cacao farm. Comparable vertically-integrated estate model to Millot's historical plantation operation, though at much smaller scale.
• Dandelion Chocolate: Bay Area single-origin craft chocolate maker that sources beans directly from small farms globally. Comparable positioning to a specialty single-origin estate, though at downstream finished-product stage rather than cultivation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/millot-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MILLOT SA