TSIRO Alliance

About the project

In 2021, the TSIRO Alliance launched an innovative 5-year, $5.8M public-private partnership to protect Madagascar's unique biodiversity while improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Before USAID was unexpectedly dismantled in early 2025, TSIRO served as the flagship programme of the agency's broader HEARTH initiative and, notably, the only one featuring a dedicated communication component. SCCA focused on business development, while IVL Creatives managed the communication strategy. We executed a consistent digital narrative through weekly and bi-weekly social media posts, comprehensive video scripts, and targeted PR. This strategic approach successfully built an engaged digital community and secured major industry visibility during the project's active years.

The TSIRO Alliance ("Thriving & Sustainable Investments for land Restoration & Economic Opportunity") is a joint initiative uniting USAID, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP), and private speciality chocolate partners Beyond Good, Guittard Chocolate and Åkesson's Organic. The alliance focuses on sustainable fine cocoa and spice production in Madagascar to balance ecological conservation with vital economic development.

How we helped

Working initially under the FCIA and later under Catholic Relief Services (CRS), our mandate was clearly divided to maximise impact: SCCA spearheaded ecosystem networking and business development, while we directed all communication and content creation. Because the project spanned multiple global stakeholders, our communication had to translate complex agroforestry and microfinance concepts into compelling, digestible narratives.

To generate targeted awareness and build authority, IVL Creatives implemented a consistent content strategy:

• We developed and managed a steady cadence of weekly and bi-weekly social media posts distributed across the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA), Make Mine Fine (MMF), and SCCA channels.
• We designed, developed and maintained a project landing page for the TSIRO Alliance on the SCCA website
• We wrote compelling video scripts and detailed production briefs to visually communicate the on-the-ground reality in Madagascar to a premium global audience.
• We drafted targeted press releases and in-depth articles to secure high-profile media placements.
• Alongside SCCA's business development efforts, we amplified the alliance's presence at major industry events, including Chocoa, the Fancy Food Show NYC, and multiple editions of the Pastry Arts Summit.

Results

By shifting the focus from the alliance's diverse operational achievements to specific, communication-driven milestones, IVL Creatives and SCCA successfully helped elevate the TSIRO Alliance's profile as a leading public-private conservation initiative.

Our targeted PR and article drafting secured prominent publications and features in Manufacturing Confectionery, Confectionary News, National Geographic, the World Cocoa Foundation, and Biodiversity Links, drastically expanding the project's global footprint.

Despite the project's premature conclusion in 2025, the robust communication framework we built ensured that the story of Madagascar's farmers and the importance of biodiversity reached a global audience of speciality consumers.