Cacao & Chocolate Summit 2024 Profiles

Jenny Samaniego is the founder of Conexión Chocolate, and The Cacao and Chocolate Summit, based in Quito, Ecuador. She serves as a Board Member of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, based in the US. Conexion Chocolate is dedicated to making fine quality chocolate bars and couverture, sourcing cocoa directly from farmer cooperatives, and preserving Ecuador’s cocoa varieties.

Johanna has been working for 30 years in Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belgium, directing projects and generating dialogues with multiple actors. Rikolto is an international NGO that contributes to structural changes towards more sustainable and inclusive food systems, strengthening the position of smallholders within the systems, through pilot projects and contributing to the construction of public and private policies. In Latin America, the focus is on coffee, cocoa and sustainable food systems.

Christian is the Head of Mission of an International Technical Assistance of the European Union to the MAG, where he is in charge of promoting and consolidating Associativity and Cooperativism. He is an Agro-economist engineer with a Master’s degree in “Agricultural Business Administration and Rural Development” from the University of Montpellier, France. He has also been a resident in Ecuador for 25 years, and has over 30 years of experience in rural development processes in Latin America (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile), with emphasis on analysis and development of value chains, formulation of agricultural policies, development of organizations and cooperatives of small producers.

He has worked with several European NGOs with a special focus on linking the development sector (NGOs and civil society) with the private sector (Business), and the public sector. Including nearly a decade as Ministerial Advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, where he is responsible for formulating Policies for the strengthening of value chains. In particular, he focused on the cocoa, corn, rice, and coffee chains.

Ragna John is coordinator of the Deforestation Free Supply Chains Program (ELKE) based in Quito. In her 20 years of work experience she has led on issues of environmental governance, REDD+, FLEGT and sustainable and deforestation-free production systems. Ragna holds a master’s degree in forestry engineering and has worked in several countries on behalf of German cooperation.

Ragna John is coordinator of the Deforestation Free Supply Chains Program (ELKE) based in Quito. In her 20 years of work experience she has led on issues of environmental governance, REDD+, FLEGT and sustainable and deforestation-free production systems. Ragna holds a Master’s Degree in forestry engineering and has worked in several countries on behalf of German cooperation.

Head of the Commercial and Economic Section of the Delegation of the European Union in Ecuador. Christophe has been a European official for 25 years and works for the Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission. Before his appointment in Quito in September 2023, he served as a commercial attaché in Senegal, Kenya, and India. He studied law with a specialization in intellectual property and also holds a master’s degree in international relations.

Merlyn Casanova, Graduate in International Management, specializing in foreign trade. Master in Business Administration with a specialty in sustainability sectors, Master in Strategic Management. She worked for 5 years in the tropical flower export sector and approximately eight years in the public sector, directing export, investment and administrative areas. She is currently the Executive Director of Anecacao, who carries out the legal and administrative representation of the association and the representation of the export sector before different national and international entities. She manages international cooperation projects and works together with the government to implement policies related to the sector.

Export and Production Manager with a Master’s Degree in Logistics and Supply Chain and a solid background in Business Administration and Finance. She has extensive experience in supervising and executing logistics and export processes, as well as in production planning and negotiation with suppliers. She is proficient in creating operational budgets and maintaining client relationships.

Cocoa farmer under organic and fair trade standards. 23 years as General Manager of UNOCACE. Member of the Board of Directors of ANECACAO and Member of the Technical Committee of the Cacao Network of the Latin American Fair Trade Coordinator CLAC.

Engineer in Agroindustries, 17 years being part of the administrative area of ​​Fortaleza del Valle, two months ago he assumed the administrative management, after the unfortunate death of Mr. Berto Zambrano.

Engineer in Socioeconomic and Environmental Development with master’s degrees in Environmental Control and Evaluation, also in Rural Development, with 10 years of experience in cacao cultivation, from nursery, production and post-harvest (fermentation and drying), as well as traceability control in production and postharvest, organic certifications, control and physical and sensory evaluation of cacao, also experience and knowledge in cacao purchases and export, cooperatives in northern Guatemala.

Diana has a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Foreign Trade. Her professional focus has been on trade policy, international trade negotiations, and market access. She has worked at the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Ecuador and Agrocalidad. Currently, her work is focused on technical assistance at GIZ Ecuador, accompanying advisory processes for market access and legal and deforestation-free production.

Bachelor in Natural Sciences with a Master’s in Environmental Management and 20 years of experience in tropical agricultural value chains. Mr. Ríos has contributed to improving the competitiveness of the cocoa sector in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Currently, as the representative of the Terra 360 Foundation, he collaborates in developing tools to facilitate the adoption of strategies in response to the European Union regulation (EUDR).

Engineer in Agricultural Industries from the Technical University of Manabí, Volunteer in the Y de Cucuy Agricultural Association

Katherine de la Torre, MBA, has held key positions in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, banking and, most recently, agriculture. She is recognized for her ability to lead and execute a wide range of projects, such as franchise and new beverage launches, as well as for her proficiency in managing multidisciplinary teams in different countries. Currently, Katherine plays a key role at GrandSouth, serving as the Director of Projects and Sustainability Department.

Nelson Yépez, Bachelor in Business Administration, Master in Human Talent Management and Creative Writing, also Specialist in Intellectual Property, with more than 16 years of experience in the public sector in foreign trade, international logistics and port operations. Expert in customs procedures and their relationship with intellectual property. Leader and trainer of high-performance multidisciplinary teams. Advisor on human talent issues, implementation and improvement of processes and procedures. Teacher of subjects related to port planning and management, international business, foreign trade, commercial diplomacy, human talent management, academic and creative writing. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in sustainable agribusiness.

Lenin is an economist with a degree from the National Polytechnic School in Quito, Ecuador. a master’s degree in Applied Statistics and a diploma in Climate Change and Agro-sustainable systems. Currently, he holds the position of Head of the Monitoring and Results Measurement Area at UNOCACE. Since 2016, he has been responsible for monitoring the Dynamic Agroforestry project in collaboration with Halba and GIZ. He will also be overseeing the study of measuring the living income of agroforestry system producers.

Agricultural Engineer, Higher Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Havana, has been Vice Minister of Agriculture, General Manager of Inclusys, Director for South America of the Dutch Development Cooperation Service and Director of the SICA Agricultural Census and Information Service

Master in Business Administration and Management, Agricultural Engineer, with more than 15 years working in the private cocoa sector in Ecuador. He has worked in areas of sustainable production, marketing, technical assistance, agricultural services and project management. Currently, he is the Technical Manager of the National Association of Cocoa Exporters of Ecuador ANECACAO, with said institution he has implemented processes to strengthen productive capacities throughout the country and has been part of the most important spaces such as: technical committees, forums, discussions of the problems and solutions of cocoa at a national and international level. He was a guest panelist at the V World Cocoa Conference in Brussels in 2024 and is the coordinator of the Cacao de Excelencia Ecuador Qualifier for the Cacao of Excellence Awards contest.

Manager of Pieandino, from Montalvo – Los Rios, Agricultural Engineer from UCSG, with training in cocoa quality research at INIAP – Pichinlingue. With more than 10 years of experience in postharvest, and physical and sensory analysis of cocoa. Creator of the Pieandino chocolate brand.

Food Technology and Agroindustrial Engineer, 10 years as Quality Manager at Unocace. Member of the panel of cocoa tasters from Ecuador “Mocca-Anecacao-Cacao of Excellence Project”. I carry out training and scientific visits at the Cacao of Excellence Laboratory and Training Center in Rome

Cocoa quality and laboratory technician, 14 years working on quality and laboratory issues for the UOPROCAE Organization. Competition jury in the 10th Edition of the “Ecuador Chocolate Awards 2022” organoleptic of cocoa liquor and Chocolate. Part of the panel of cocoa tasters of Ecuador’s “Mocca-ANECACAO Cocoa Excellence Project”. Training and scientific visits to the Excellence Cocoa Laboratory and Training Center in Rome.

Graduate in Culinary Arts from USFQ in 2004, and specialized at ICIF in Italy and the Basque Culinary Center. With experience working in various restaurants both within and outside Ecuador, currently serving as teacher and instructor, responsible for international programs and research and development department at the School of Gastronomy at UDLA. Deeply interested in gastronomic processes and technologies and their application for comprehensive food management.

Graduated in Culinary Arts at UDLA. Worked on Republica del Cacao. Now SOMOS Executive chef and C.O.O. “I think that working with ecuadorian products such as cacao is an honor an a privilege, is on us to take this products, knowledge and culture to the world.”