Certified B Corp
Norohy is B corp !
Norohy is a bold brand committed to responsible gastronomy. But what does this mean in practical terms?
Since its creation, Norohy has been committed to a virtuous business model and a more transparent and responsible supply chain. It was therefore necessary for our brand to certify the scope of its concrete actions with a reliable and recognized label. This certification is real recognition of the work we’ve been doing for nearly 5 years.
What is B corp ?
Benefit Corporation (or B Corp to its friends) is a label created in 2006 in the United States. It certifies companies that have a positive impact on society and the environment. Although more than 7,400 companies are certified worldwide, only 2,900 of them are European! That’s why Norohy is proud to belong to this community, which is still too small. This label objectively certifies our efforts to preserve the environment and ensure sustainable working conditions for all.
A label and commitments
B Corp certification is awarded to companies that have made the most progress in transforming themselves to achieve a positive operational impact and business model. This certification is based on five pillars:
– Governance: mission and commitment, ethics and transparency, governance and finance;
– The community: diversity and inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, supplier policy;
– Customers;
– Employees: remuneration, health and well-being, development and training, commitment, and satisfaction.
– And the environment: air, climate, water, earth & life.
Norohy has provided factual evidence of its commitment to each of these five pillars.
Governance
The B Corp pillar dedicated to governance assesses the company’s mission, its societal impact and its ethics.
Norohy’s ambition is fully in line with a positive impact approach. It consists of sharing the know-how surrounding vanilla and natural flavour materials by creating new virtuous standards. We are committed to improving the transparency of the industry, so that chefs can enjoy the very best of nature.
In the selection of its partners and internally, the brand is careful to exclude all corruption. The Norohy team complies with local regulations, including those relating to social and environmental performance. Our teams are trained in these issues to ensure strict compliance.
In concrete terms: Norohy’s commitments
Organic & traceable sustainable crops
Faced with the climatic upheavals threatening agricultural sectors, Norohy has chosen to commit to virtuous farming practices. Working closely with producers, we are introducing agricultural crops based on the principles of agroforestry. We also encourage the use of regenerative crops to naturally fertilize the soil. Finally, most of our products are organically grown. Of our total sales volume, almost… % are organic products.
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Vanilla
Driven by a thirst for transparency, Norohy is committed to guaranteeing traceability throughout the value chain, through the organic certification of vanilla in Madagascar.
Our teams also visit the plantations several times a year to guarantee the quality of the products as well as the cultivation and processing methods. Norohy also ensures consistent quality in compliance with predefined specifications, while maintaining long-term relationships with our planting and processing partners.
As a result, 100% of our vanilla beans are traceable back to the production village. -
Coffee
Our coffee bean paste is made from beans produced by independent co-operatives that pioneered Fair Trade coffee in Ethiopia. SPP (Small Producers’ Symbol) certified, these cooperatives bring together over 4,000 small producers! In this way, they help the sector to progress in terms of agronomy, the environment, sustainability, quality and living conditions for the communities. Norohy is supporting the long-term survival of Ethiopian micro-agricultural businesses to maintain coffee growing in the Guji region. -
Floral waters
For its orange blossom water, Norohy relies on a partner with a complete profile, combining cultivation and distillation. This allows us to better control quality at every stage of the process, from the plot to the floral water.
The organic bitter orange trees in the Cap Bon region are very close to the distillation site.
Promoting know-how and industries
We are committed daily to ensuring that our partnerships last and that our partners enjoy better living conditions. This means working hard to raise awareness among chefs of the skills involved in harvesting and processing. We organize planting trips with our customers and chefs and offer training courses and detailed booklets to explain the specific features of each sector, such as our “Indispensables” guide.
Every two years, the Pastry World Cup (“Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie”) brings together teams of young pastry chefs from all over the world. For us, being a partner is an obvious choice for this event, which is geared towards committed pastry-making. As a Premium Partner of the CMP, NOROHY supports the selections and the final of this renowned competition, which highlights the skills, know-how and talents of today’s and tomorrow’s pastry chefs.
Rewarding commitment
Norohy also rewards the commitment of its partners through fair remuneration. For example, our coffee growers receive bonuses per quintal that add up. They are paid an organic premium, a fair-trade development premium and a quality premium. These are in addition to the price per quintal defined by the SPP (Small Producers) label, which is well above the cost of production. Together, these allow producers to avoid selling to collectors at a low price.
Improving everyday life
Norohy is also committed to very concrete actions to improve the living conditions of our partners. In 2023, for example, the brand co-financed 25% of the construction of a bridge in the Morafeno region of Madagascar. This project aims to open the region up and reduce poverty through local economic development.
Meseared Indulgence
Aware of the issues surrounding food, Norohy has joined the Meseared Indulgence movement for healthier, more virtuous gastronomy without ever sacrificing the pleasure of tasting. Inspired by Pierre Gagnaire, this concept was initiated by Frédéric Bau. It promotes a restricted list of ingredients while preserving aromatic intensity and complexity. The development of our inspired recipes follows this principle.
Natural flavouring ingredients accessibility
Thanks to the care taken in its sourcing, Norohy makes high-quality natural flavouring ingredients accessible. In addition to their organoleptic qualities, these exceptional products come from responsible sources with reliable traceability. An ethical solution for chefs who want to combine respect for producers, product quality and taste.
Finally, when the market trend is downwards, Norohy aims to pass on this fall in the final price to its customers. Our aim is to share the creation of value as fair as possible between the links in an interdependent chain. At Norohy, we believe deeply in collaboration and try to put our values into practice every day.
Innovative products to meet chefs’ expectations
Although Norohy is still a young brand, it has forged close partnerships with chefs. Thanks to these partnerships, Norohy can respond to their needs with innovative products. Tadoka, the right amount of vanilla, revolutionizes the use of this precious ingredient. This aromatic nugget, which can be grated or melted, makes it easier to use and dose vanilla in the lab. This is even more important in the current climate. We know how difficult it is for our customers to recruit qualified staff: a real time-saver for everyone!
In the same spirit, Norohy coffee bean paste preserves the aromatic richness of the coffee, making it easier to incorporate into gourmet creations. This is due to the process chosen for its production: ground roasted coffee beans rather than coffee extraction. Norohy’s approach is to respect the raw material for a taste that is true to the raw product.
A food cost approach
Close to the field, we know the importance of keeping up with production rates in the lab and controlling the cost of raw materials in recipes. Our innovations such as Vanifusion (vanilla bean paste), Tadoka and our vanilla extract meet these challenges. They contribute to fair use and controlled costs.
Bold and committed employees
Norohy remains a team on a human scale with values shared by all. The team reflects the brand: committed and daring.
For example, in 2023, employees were trained in CSR issues. And because at Norohy theory is not enough, immediate, and practical application followed. The “Ma Petite Planète” (My Little Planet) challenge enabled the teams to act daily to limit their environmental impact.
Developing our talents
As a strong advocate of learning by doing, we train our teams in the challenges of our sectors. To this end, all new arrivals on permanent contracts are offered a visit to the plant within 18 months of taking up their post. In addition to theoretical training sessions, each member of staff goes on a sales tour when they can to get a better understanding of the reality on the ground. We also work jointly with renowned, experienced chefs to ensure that we always remain focused on the application of our ingredients.
In this way, Norohy helps to pass on know-how internally too. We also welcome interns and trainees to pass on our values.
Trained in the principles of Meseared Indulgence and passionate about the pastry-making profession, almost half the NOROHY team have passed the CAP Pastry exam (equivalent to the youth training NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) on their own.
A mixed team
In our team, women have pride of place, including among managers. Diversity is also reflected in the age pyramid, enabling intergenerational collaboration.
Most of our member’s team have higher education qualifications. The complementary profiles enable everyone to fulfil their potential in a stimulating environment. Even though the brand is young, it offers real opportunities for everyone to develop.
Conditions conducive to employee well-being and commitment
Norohy strives to create working conditions conducive to the well-being and commitment of its employees. This is reflected at every moment in the way we approach issues and in the way we organize time for sharing and team building.
For example, team meetings are themed, brief, and regular to encourage discussion and progress on projects. To facilitate internal communication, personality tests were used to reveal the profile of each team member. This has made it easier to understand each person’s expectations, communication styles and emotional management. Managers are also made aware of the need to prevent psycho-social risks through training sessions with practical case studies.
Environment
Norohy is committed to the agricultural sector and is fully aware of the climatic and environmental challenges. While this awareness is essential, it is not enough. That’s why the brand is committed to reducing its impact at every stage of the product life cycle, from development to packaging and transport.
Carbon footprint
To measure the priority areas to be tackled in this battle, Norohy began by establishing its carbon footprint. The aim is to identify the points with the greatest impact so that the best alternatives can be put in place. This major undertaking, carried out by external experts for greater objectivity, will be completed in 2024.
Minimize the resources used
Like most crops and industrial processes, the production of Norohy products requires water, electricity, and fuel.
While there is still room for significant improvement, Norohy develops its products with the minimization of resources always in mind. For example, the distance between bitter orange trees and the distillery is kept as short as possible. The vanilla bean preparation areas are located as close as possible to the plantings to reduce the transport of goods. Finally, the chosen method of processing coffee beans limits water consumption in favour of natural drying on the ground.
Eco-design of products and packaging
In addition to production, the over-packaging of products is also under scrutiny. The ratio of packaging weight to product weight plays a part in the choice of material used, as does its recyclability. As far as possible, we avoid over-packaging to limit waste.
Even the number of print runs, the format and weight of the paper and the number of pages in the information materials are carefully considered to avoid waste. Our documents are also available online to limit their environmental impact.
Low-carbon transport Windcoop 2025
Keen to adopt a less polluting method of transporting our vanilla, NOROHY is supporting the Windcoop project by investing €300k (€50k in shares & €250k to build the ship).
Windcoop is a new kind of shipping company, transporting containers under sail. The container ship will be powered for the most part by wind energy, which is inexhaustible, clean, and free. From 2025, this militant project in the form of a cooperative will offer a low-carbon transport model that cares for people and the environment. The aim is to transport all our vanilla beans from Madagascar to Marseille. We also hope to use this new sea route to transport many other products from various companies.
