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Privacy Policy

Introduction
At Specialty Cocoa and Chocolate Associates (SCCA), we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website https://chocolateassociates.com. By using our website, you agree to the practices outlined in this policy.

Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of information:

  • Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, and any other details you provide voluntarily through our forms or communications.
  • Non-Personal Information: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and other analytics data collected automatically.

How We Use Your Information
The information collected is used to:

  • Provide and improve our services.
  • Respond to inquiries or requests made through our website.
  • Send updates, newsletters, or promotional communications (with your consent).
  • Analyze website performance and enhance user experience.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies to optimize your experience on our website and analyze site traffic. You can control cookie settings in your browser, but disabling cookies may limit some functionalities of the website.

Sharing Your Information
We do not sell or trade your personal information to third parties. However, we may share data with trusted partners to:

  • Host and maintain our website.
  • Analyze website performance.
  • Comply with legal obligations when required.

Data Security
We take appropriate security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. However, no online system is completely secure, and we encourage caution when sharing sensitive information.

Your Rights
You have the right to:

  • Access, update, or delete your personal information.
  • Opt-out of marketing communications at any time.
  • Request clarification on how we process your data.

Third-Party Links
Our website may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites and recommend reviewing their policies.

Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Changes will be posted on this page with the updated effective date.

Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us

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Isabelle van Lier

Founder, IVL Creatives
Isabelle van Lier is a social media and content marketing specialist, and the founder of IVL Creatives. She helps businesses clarify their messaging, strengthen their digital presence, and grow their brands through practical, audience-focused communications.

Through IVL Creatives, Isabelle has worked across international trade and development, sustainable technology, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate. Her work focuses on simplifying complex messages, creating engaging content, and using social media marketing to support visibility, growth, and positive change.
Areas of Expertise
Marketing communications
Social media strategy
Social media management
Digital marketing
Content marketing
Creative strategy
Brand messaging
Public relations
Event marketing
SEO optimization

Colin Ulbert

Creative Lead & Digital Marketing Specialist
Colin Ulbert is a creative lead and digital marketing specialist with expertise in social media advertising, content strategy, and branding. He is currently Creative Lead and Social Media Ads Specialist at the Dutch agency Leapforce, where he develops digital marketing initiatives designed to increase visibility, engagement, and growth.

Through IVL Creatives, Colin applies his marketing expertise to sustainability-focused work, including as a social media consultant to the TSIRO Alliance in Madagascar, alongside USAID, Catholic Relief Services, and the FCIA. He previously served as Marketing Manager of Chocoa, where he gained direct experience in cocoa and chocolate-sector marketing, events, and stakeholder communications.
Areas of Expertise
Creative strategy
Digital marketing strategy
Social media management
Social media advertising
Marketing communications
Event marketing
Public relations
Brand development
Content creation
SEO optimization
Web design and development

Martin Gilmour

Cocoa & Chocolate Technical Expert
Martin Gilmour is a cocoa and chocolate industry technical expert with more than thirty-two years of experience working with two of the world's largest chocolate companies. He has worked extensively across West Africa, South America, and Asia on cocoa production, planting material, agroforestry, agronomy, pest and disease management, soil fertility, cocoa flavor, quality, and food safety.

Martin holds a PhD in plant science from the University of Nottingham and has been an industry leader in developing and implementing collaborative, science-based innovations to improve cocoa productivity and quality in the field. His more recent work focuses on moving cocoa production toward regenerative agriculture approaches.
Areas of Expertise
Cocoa farm design for smallholder and estate systems
Cocoa agroforestry and regenerative agriculture
GAP for cocoa productivity improvement
Cocoa pest and disease management
Rational pesticide use and alternatives
Cocoa planting material and clone selection
Safe international movement of cocoa varieties
Soil nutrition and fertilizer strategy
Alternatives to mineral fertilizer
Cocoa quality, food safety, and heavy metals mitigation

Anya Carrasco

Management Advisor, Zorzal Cacao
Anya Carrasco is a project manager with more than ten years of experience improving operational efficiency across the agricultural, education, and technology sectors. She is currently a management advisor to Zorzal Cacao leadership, and previously led the company's day-to-day U.S. operations and oversaw logistics for the inaugural Cocoa Masterclass Dominican Republic.

Anya holds a master's degree in sustainability from Harvard, with certificates in food systems and innovation. Her work focuses on operational systems, circularity, energy efficiency, and waste reduction. She also serves as board secretary of Inin Rabi, which partners with Indigenous peoples of the Amazon on food security and the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge.
Areas of Expertise
Cocoa import and export coordination
Operations and logistics management
Change management for growing organizations
Process improvement and operational efficiency
IT business analysis and digital transformation
Cross-cultural programme coordination
Budget tracking and administrative systems
Advanced spreadsheet design and analysis
Travel and event logistics
Multilingual stakeholder communication

Sarah Bharath

Plant Scientist, Soil-to-Seed
Sarah Bharath is a plant scientist and soil-to-seed practitioner with more than two decades of experience in cacao growing systems. Her work centers on the cacao plant as part of an interconnected ecosystem, from soil health and plant diversity to post-harvest processing and on-farm applied sensory science.

Born and educated in Trinidad, Sarah trained formally as a plant scientist, specializing in diversity studies to support conservation, evaluation, and utilization. She spent thirteen years in formal cacao research in Trinidad, with work spanning plant pathology, agronomy, genetic and physical diversity, and post-harvest processes, before transitioning to direct work with farmers. She now provides technical support to cacao producers and industry clients in Trinidad and internationally, co-creating practical solutions to field-based and processing challenges.
Areas of Expertise
Soil-to-seed cacao systems analysis
Regenerative agriculture and agroecology
Cacao post-harvest quality improvement
Fermentation, drying, and storage protocols
Cocoa sensory assessment and quality evaluation
Farmer training and technical facilitation
Training curriculum and visual learning materials
Field diagnostics for quality and sustainability gaps
Biodiversity, traceability, and EUDR readiness
Multilingual cocoa-sector facilitation

Brett Beach

Ethical Chocolate Brand Development
Brett Beach brings more than fifteen years of FMCG business leadership in the U.S. and Europe, alongside six years of development experience in Africa with the U.S. State Department and USAID. He has co-founded and led ethical chocolate brands including MIA and Madécasse / Beyond Good, giving him hands-on experience across the product journey from farm to market.

Brett has brought more than twenty African-made products from production to launch, including through trade shows, independent retailers, Amazon, and national grocery channels such as Whole Foods Market, Waitrose, and Sainsbury's. His work combines commercial strategy, product development, retail readiness, and market access for origin-based chocolate and food brands.
Areas of Expertise
Ethical chocolate brand development
Origin-based supply chain management
African-made product commercialization
Single-origin product positioning
Retail certification strategy
Flavor development and shelf-life planning
Packaging design management
Retail and DTC storytelling
Trade show and launch planning
Grocery, Amazon, and specialty retail strategy

Selassie Atadika

Founder, Midunu Chocolates
Selassie Atadika is a food systems strategist, chocolatier, and founder of Midunu Chocolates in Accra, Ghana, with twenty years of experience across West African cocoa and African food systems. Her work bridges origin-based production, flavor development, brand strategy, and community-based program design.

A TIME Earth Award honoree and Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow, Selassie brings a rare perspective to the specialty chocolate sector as an African producer who has built and taken an artisan chocolate brand to European retail and US direct-to-consumer markets. Her consulting work focuses on African ingredient knowledge and culinary tradition, brand and market strategy for companies engaging African cocoa origin, and program design informed by a decade of humanitarian field experience with UNICEF across 40 countries.
Areas of Expertise
West African cocoa and food systems
Cocoa origin and community engagement
Community-based program design
Child labor prevention strategy
Project analysis and impact assessment
Staff coaching and capacity building
African ingredient and flavor development
Sensory strategy and culinary storytelling
Brand positioning and market strategy

Bill Guyton

Founding CEO, World Cocoa Foundation
Bill Guyton is a senior leader in international cocoa, agribusiness, and nonprofit management, with deep experience building public-private partnerships, resilient value chains, and community-based sustainability programs. He specializes in partnership strategy, program governance, stakeholder engagement, and implementation support for complex cocoa and agricultural development initiatives.

Bill founded and served as CEO of the World Cocoa Foundation, and later served as Executive Director of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. His career has included assignments across Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, where he has managed development programs for public- and private-sector partners.
Areas of Expertise
Public-private partnership strategy
Government and industry engagement
Multi-stakeholder program governance
Strategic partnership development
Matching grant creation and management
Technical committee facilitation
KPI development and performance tracking
Partnership alignment and dispute resolution
Trade missions and field visits
Program communications and stakeholder outreach
Cocoa sustainability program design

Dr. Kristy Leissle

Founder & CEO, African Cocoa Marketplace, Inc.
Dr. Kristy Leissle is an internationally recognized expert in the cocoa and chocolate trade, with more than twenty years of experience in African cocoa sectors. Her work bridges field research, market analysis, sustainability strategy, communications, and commercial development for cocoa and chocolate companies, trade associations, development partners, and African producer organizations.

Kristy is Founder & CEO of African Cocoa Marketplace, Inc., a trade platform connecting international buyers with verified African sellers. She previously held faculty appointments in African Studies and Global Studies at the University of Washington, where she taught and researched cocoa, development, trade, and African political economy. She has also worked on marketing and business development for African cocoa, including as Co-founder of the Cocoapreneurship Institute of Ghana. Kristy is the author of Cocoa, a book about power, trade, and geopolitics in the global cocoa and chocolate industry, and is widely known for translating complex sector dynamics into clear strategy, communication, and commercial insight.
Areas of Expertise
African cocoa market analysis
Cocoa trade and sustainability strategy
Supplier market access strategy
Supplier transparency and due diligence design
Field research and stakeholder interviews
Radical Listening: Insight Methodology trainings
Strategic writing and concept development
Impact storytelling and communications
Partnership development
Cocoa-sector thought leadership