On the occasion of her visit to our studio for “Brandiiing,” the podcast that decrypts the universe of major brands, Delphine Brudoux, Marketing & Communication Director at Malongo, answered our questions.
An iconic brand born in Nice in 1934, Malongo has established itself as a symbol of excellence and ethics in the world of coffee. A pioneer in fair trade and artisanal roasting, it has disrupted traditional codes to offer exceptional region-specific coffees. Once known for its small artisanal roastery, the brand now implements an ambitious strategy: product innovation, industrial relocation, and sustainable commitment, all while remaining true to its DNA: quality, product respect, and support for producers.
In this interview, Delphine Brudoux discusses ethics, innovation, and the future of coffee at Malongo. To learn more, don’t miss this episode of “Brandiiing”!
JUPDLC: How do you integrate your CSR commitments, such as agroforestry, natural paper pods, or support for cooperatives, into your communication campaigns to make them tangible to consumers?
Delphine Brudoux: Our CSR approach is not a marketing argument; it is truly Malongo’s DNA. In our TV spot, we chose to highlight very concretely our natural paper pods that protect both the coffee and the environment, as well as the realities of fair trade. What matters to us is to show the real impact of our commitments: fairer incomes for producers, collective projects that improve access to water, health, education in producing countries. This is not cold institutional communication; it is a profession of faith.
We regularly reaffirm these differences: fair trade, traditional roasting in France, coffee machine manufacturing in France, coffee quality. For example, during the Fair Trade Fortnight, we run a digital awareness campaign on organic coffee, agroforestry, and their concrete impacts in producer countries. It seems essential to us to do this educational work. Consumers need to understand why these practices are beneficial for small producers and biodiversity.
JUPDLC: The Malongo Young Coffee Professional Competition is in its 32nd edition in 2026. How does this operation serve as a lever to enhance your brand image and transmit your barista know-how to young talents and the public?
Delphine Brudoux: 32 editions! This competition is much more than a communication operation; it is a human adventure that perfectly reflects our values: excellence, knowledge transmission, our coffee discourse. Training and sharing are integral to Malongo’s identity.
It is also an opportunity to reaffirm our commitments to fair trade and our programs in producing countries, to raise awareness of the industry’s challenges. We reach three strategic audiences: the general public, professionals, and hotel schools. This gives us real legitimacy.
By highlighting these young barista talents, future ambassadors sensitive to our approach, we position ourselves as an engaged actor in training, sharing, and the future of the industry. Our communication is both institutional, educational, and inspirational.
JUPDLC: Why did you choose Richard Bohringer’s voice for your campaigns, and why continue it? Is it to strengthen the brand’s identifiability and sound signature of Malongo with the general public?
Delphine Brudoux: First and foremost, it is a beautiful human encounter between Richard Bohringer and our teams. His voice is unique, immediately recognizable, sincere, embodied, and distinctive. It is in perfect alignment with what we wanted to convey: authenticity, character, commitment. It adds depth to the message.
What is interesting is that our spot does not have background music. Richard Bohringer’s voice then takes up all the space, making our discourse on fair trade, support for small producers, our roasting expertise even more audible.
Indeed, this reinforces our sound signature and brand recognition. Renewing it on several spots is part of a logic of consistency and continuity. In an overloaded advertising universe, this consistency is valuable.
JUPDLC: The coffee is an extremely common and competitive product. What marketing differentiation strategy do you implement to stand out from market giants, beyond organic and fair trade?
Delphine Brudoux: Malongo is above all a distinctive taste, a gustatory signature made possible by our commitment to traditional roasting since 1934. A slow method, in 20 minutes, revealing coffee aromas, carried out in our factory near Nice.
We have complete mastery of the coffee chain, from plantation to cup, allowing us to have a very qualitative approach based on terroirs, botany, 95% Arabica, hand-picking, agroforestry farming, aromatic notes…
This in-depth knowledge of each stage allows us to select only the best practices. We are artisan roasters perpetuating a savoir-faire!
And we continue our CSR commitments with a desire for continuous improvement, especially in packaging, to offer packaging that preserves both the coffee and the environment.
This interview was conducted following the recording of “Brandiiing,” our podcast that helps you discover or rediscover the most iconic brands.
