La Plantation Kampot Awarded Humanitarian Trophy at Paris Quai d’Orsay, March 2026

Paris, Quai d’Orsay, March 2026. In the solemnity of the salons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, La Plantation Kampot receives the Humanitarian Trophy of the 14th edition of the Trophées des Français de l’Étranger.

Guy Porré and Nathalie Chaboche

This distinction, awarded by a jury chaired by parliamentarians and expatriate entrepreneurs, crowns more than a decade of commitment from a Franco-Belgian couple, Guy Porré and Nathalie Chaboche. Their farm, nestled in the hills of Kampot in southern Cambodia, combines agricultural excellence – production of IGP pepper prized by starred chefs – with an exemplary social and environmental model, supporting hundreds of rural families in a country where family farming remains the pillar of a fragile economy.

From High-Tech Careers to the Virgin Lands of Kampot

Computer engineer in Paris and London, Guy Porré and his wife Nathalie Chaboche, both in their forties seeking meaning, set foot in Cambodia in 2013 during an initiatory trip. Seduced by Kampot's unique terroir – quartz-rich mineral soils, ideal tropical monsoon climate for pepper –, they bought a 50-hectare wasteland in February 2014, devoid of roads and electricity. Eight months later, 20,000 pepper plants are planted, aiming for the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Kampot Pepper, labeled since 2010 by the EU and recognized by the WIPO.

By 2016, the harvest peaks at 25 tons annually, propelling La Plantation to the rank of world leader in this pepper with floral and spicy aromas, exported to 40 countries. Twelve years later, the operation employs 300 workers in high season (including 50 permanent staff, mostly local women), with salaries 30% above the rural Cambodian minimum.

Clever diversification: fresh pepper with sea salt, umami sauces, and herbal teas, captivating a gastronomic clientele from Tokyo to New York. This economic success – turnover growing 20% per year – defies climate hazards and Asian competition, in a region where Kampot pepper represents only 1% of world production but 70% of its value.

La Plantation Kampot

A Social and Ecological Commitment at the Heart of Villages

Beyond exceptional spices, La Plantation reinvents sustainable agriculture in a Cambodia marked by endemic rural unemployment (25% in peri-urban areas) and persistent illiteracy rates among rural children.

The couple funds scholarships for 120 students at a renovated primary school – drinking water, modern sanitation, bikes for commutes –, and university aid for top performers.

Since 2025, a school for traditional Khmer dance perpetuates a cultural heritage threatened by urbanization.

The impact extends: electrification of isolated hamlets, paving of rural tracks, creation of a fair trade cooperative grouping 50 family farms. The farm collects endemic spices (lemongrass, galangal) from small producers, offering housing, daily meals, and social security – rare in an informal sector.

Environmentally, thousands of fruit and local trees reforest eroded hills, while ancestral Khmer organic techniques (natural mulching, crop rotation) restore an ecosystem weakened by monocultures. Open to responsible tourism since 2016, La Plantation welcomes visitors for free tours, picking workshops, and stays at La Villa, generating 15% of its revenue while raising awareness of pepper biodiversity.

An Inspiring Model for Southeast Asia

This humanitarian trophy, rewarding “profound impact on local communities,” illustrates a counterpoint to post-pandemic precariousness in Cambodia. Hundreds of families, freed from unemployment and migration to Phnom Penh, see their children call Guy and Nathalie “Grandfather” and “Grandmother.”

“It’s not just a farm, it’s a reinvented village,” confides Guy Porré in an interview on the La Plantation website.

Thanks to our devoted teams, partner farmers, and visitors from around the world who bring this family project to life. In a context where sustainable agriculture is crucial against climate change, La Plantation Kampot paves the way for a bright future for rural Cambodia – a visionary jewel proving that profitability and humanity can rhyme.