Privacy Notice
Last updated: 30 July 2026
1.Who is responsible for your data
Your personal information is collected and processed by Bioversity International, as part of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, through its programme Cacao of Excellence (CoEx/Alliance).
2.What information we collect
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Name and email address | To create your account and identify you in our records |
| Profession | To understand who is training with us and tailor programmes accordingly |
| Training registrations and payment status | To manage your bookings. Card details are handled directly by our payment provider; we do not store them |
| Training completion and certification status | To track your progress toward CoEx credentials, including certification renewal dates |
| Your CoEx serial ID | A reference number for your record, used to verify your status on request |
We only collect what is needed to run the training and certification programme, nothing more.
3.Who can access your information
Your information is accessible to a limited number of CoEx programme administrators who manage registrations and certification records. It is not sold, and it is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes. Two exceptions where a third party is involved:
- Our payment provider, to process training payments;
- Google, if you choose to sign in with a Google account.
4.The CoEx public registry
If you complete a training or certification stage that carries a CoEx credential, such as Trained Taster or Certified Taster, your name and credential status may be listed in a public CoEx registry that others can search. This helps buyers, employers and partners verify a credential is genuine.
This listing is optional. You can choose not to appear in the public registry, even if you hold the credential, and your credential itself is unaffected either way. You can set this preference from your profile, or contact us to opt out at any time.
5.Where your data is stored
Your data is stored on servers located in the European Union, regardless of where you access your account from.
6.Your rights
You can, at any time:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct any information that is inaccurate or out of date.
- Ask us to erase your information entirely. We will delete your account and personal data on request, except where we are required to keep certain records by law.
- Opt out of appearing in the public CoEx registry, without affecting your credential.
- Withdraw consent for optional uses of your data at any time.
- Object to or ask us to restrict how we use your information.
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe your data has not been handled properly.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.
7.Changes to this notice
We may update this notice from time to time, including as the My Profile system and certification pathway develop. Where changes are material, we will make reasonable efforts to notify active account holders.
8.Contact
For questions about this notice, or to exercise any of your rights, contact us at cacaoofexcellence@cgiar.org.
By creating a My Profile account, you confirm that you have read and understood this Privacy Notice.
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