In April 2024, Maison Soleil welcomed its fifth and final direct trade partner: the cooperative Route d’Antananarivo, located in the central highlands of Madagascar. This partnership, still in its pilot phase, completes the puzzle of the house’s French-speaking African origins and opens a new narrative chapter, at the crossroads of coffee, reforestation and transmission.
From the highlands to island aromas
The cooperative is located in the Analamanga region, between 1,300 and 1,600 metres above sea level. Despite a more modest altitude than our other East African partners, the climate of the Malagasy highlands — cool, dry in the cold season, wet in the rainy season — allows the arabica Catuaí to ripen slowly and develop a strikingly fruity profile. A few historic plots of old robusta also remain, used occasionally in our blends.
The process is washed, carried out with the same methodical care we found in Rwanda and the DRC. The cooperative, founded in 2013, remains deliberately small: just 95 producers, led by an unusual director, Hanitra Razafindrabe. A former teacher who moved into cooperative management in 2016, she also runs a reforestation programme tied to the coffee plots, strengthening the link between farming and preserving the landscape.
A pilot before the big leap
Unlike our four other partnerships, the contract with Route d’Antananarivo is still a renewable one-year agreement. If the 2025 volumes are confirmed, the move to a multi-year contract is planned for 2026. This caution is not doubt: it is rigour. Before committing for several years, Maison Soleil wants to be sure that quality, logistics and the relationship hold over a full season.
The volume planned for 2025 is 6 tonnes, the smallest of our partnerships. Yet it is enough to supply our reference Madagascar — Route d’Antananarivo, available in 250 g and 1 kg, as well as the signature blend Terres Ensoleillées, whose launch is planned for next month.
A cup that smells of the island
In the cup, the Madagascar — Route d’Antananarivo surprises with its liveliness. Lightly roasted, it unfolds notes of lychee, lime and green mango. It is a sun-drenched, almost juicy coffee, evocative of Antananarivo’s morning markets and the mists of the high plateaux.
With this partner, Maison Soleil completes the construction of its African direct trade programme. Five origins, five stories, one commitment: paying coffee at its fair value and telling its story with precision.
How to enjoy it : as filter, slightly under-extracted, to preserve the fruity acidity and freshness of the profile.