Advisory Council Members
Ed Seguine - In Memoriam
Ed was the founder of Cacao of Excellence and a highly respected cacao expert whose pioneering vision and dedication made a lasting impact on the cacao sector worldwide. As a founding member of our Advisory Council, Ed's contributions helped shape and elevate our mission to celebrate exceptional cacao and support producers globally. His legacy continues to inspire our work.
Adriana Mejia Cuartas
CEO & Founder, Herencia - Value your Legacy
Harlem, the Netherlands
Andrea Doucet Donida
Cacao Barry Global Brand Leader, Barry Callebaut
Montreal, Canada
Brigitte Laliberté
Strategic Advisor, Cacao Value Chain, Multistakeholder Collaboration
Rome, Italy
Catherine Entzminger
Director General, European Cocoa Association (ECA)
Brussels, Belgium
Gary Guittard
President, Guittard Chocolate Company
San Francisco, USA
Johanna Schmidt
Global Project Manager - Cocoa, Fairtrade International
Bonn, Germany
Juan Lucas Restrepo
Global Director of Partnerships and Advocacy, CGIAR and Director General, Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
Rome, Italy
Michel Arrion
Executive Director, International Cocoa Organization (ICCO)
Abidjan, Côte d'lvoire
Latest News
Indonesian Researchers Strengthen Capacity Around Cacao Flavour Evaluation and Quality Assessment
As cacao-producing countries increasingly seek to strengthen their own capacity around flavour evaluation, processing innovation and quality… [+ more]
What NPR’s feature reveals about the future of cacao quality
NPR recently featured the work of Cacao of Excellence in a story exploring one of the central challenges facing the cacao sector today: while cacao… [+ more]
First Seguine Cacao Auction Confirms Premium Value for Recognised Quality and Flavour
First Seguine Cacao Auction Confirms Premium Value for Recognised Quality and Flavour Amsterdam, 20 February 2026 - The inaugural Seguine Cacao… [+ more]