It is five generations since the Cassam Chenaï family from India, and in particular the Gujrat region, settled in Madagascar. It began its activities in postcards, textiles and finally in spices intended exclusively for export. Over time, the growing family, many of them broke away from the family group to create their own business, this is the case of Shahin Cassam Chenaï.
A family
A fine cocoa
Thanks to one of the world’s finest cacao and labeled “Fine cocoa” by the International Cocoa Organization since January 2016, Malagasy chocolate is appreciated for its floral notes, its acidity and its slight astringency on the finish.
MENA means red in Malagasy
Red like the color of the earth, rich in minerals and sediments deposited by the Sambirano river, red like the color of the pods that come from the best producers of the Sambirano valley, red like the color of our chocolate, finally Mena like the Red island: Madagascar.
KAO for cocoa
Our beans are from the best planter cooperatives in the Sambirano Valley (Ambanja region). We develop our recipes by favoring local products (range 100% Madagascar, Truly Madagascar), and this from premium cocoa beans.
It is therefore natural that we wanted to illustrate our tablets by highlighting the faces of different ethnic groups that represent the Malagasy people. The Tanala, the Betsimisaraka, the Mahafaly, the Antanosy, the Bara or the Merina, all represented in their traditional headdresses and clothes.
A tribute and a will to discover a country with multiple cultures that make the wealth of Madagascar; also a nod from Shahin Cassam Chenaï, founder of Menakao, who wanted to recall four generations later the first commercial activities of the family: arrival at the beginning of the 19th century, it begins in the sale of postcards.
