Valrhona, the chocolate maker committed to a fair and sustainable cocoa industry, and Fly-Box, which develops innovative and eco-responsible solutions for the transport of goods, are today joining forces to combine their logistical expertise to create a sustainable and high-performance end-to-end maritime service.
As part of its mission, Valrhona is committed to developing sustainable distribution in order to reduce its impact on the environment. In its search for greener modes of transportation to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Valrhona sees FlyBox as a carbon-free maritime solution capable of helping it achieve its goal of halving its GHG emissions by 2030.
The first phase of this long-term collaboration will focus on local logistics, with Valrhona’s “Fly-Box Compact” electric platforms delivering products to customers in the city. These platforms, a prototype of which will be unveiled at VivaTech in late May, can transport loads of less than one ton by flying over water. They can then be combined with electric cargo bikes to deliver pastry chefs’ and artisan chocolatiers’ workshops to the heart of cities.
Later, Valrhona will be able to use the large Fly-Box platforms powered by green hydrogen to transport tens of tons of containers, for example between Marseille and Tain l’Hermitage.
In this way, the two companies are reviving the historical heritage of transporting cocoa beans by boat and river, and expressing their shared vision of sustainable logistics, synonymous with operational and environmental excellence.
This collaboration marks the beginning of a promising logistical relationship between Fly-Box and Valrhona, where innovation, sustainability and logistical efficiency come together to shape the future of distribution in the chocolate world.
Thomas Maurisset, VP Supply Chain Operations at Valrhona, explains: “We logistics professionals have a crucial role to play in protecting our environment. In order to create an innovative and sustainable distribution solution, we first need to create a legitimate and complete ecosystem, bringing together all the expertise, from technical design to customer delivery, through interconnected processes and a well-designed supply chain. Fly-Box is an ambitious project and I’m delighted to come on board and join the team to help develop a high performance supply chain that integrates the last mile and thus be part of this great adventure”.
Alain Thébault, founder and CEO of Fly-Box, says: “This partnership with Valrhona is an important step for Fly-Box, only six months after its creation. This alliance is very important for us because Valrhona will be our first customer, and it’s a long-term one. This mark of confidence honors us all the more, as we share very strong values with this company, which is very committed to a sustainable future”.
