Getting up close and personal with the Daarnhouwer team!
Before the end of the year is here, we thought it would be fun to introduce ourselves to you. Sometimes you see a name in an e-mail or talk to someone over the phone but you can’t put a face to the name. Or perhaps you only know one person in our team. We thought it was about time we got to introduce you to the whole Cocoa Team at Daarnhouwer. Get to know our team members through five questions. And as always, feel free to reach out to us. We always like to hear from you!
Erika Rosas Armas
Commercial Team – Dedicated to the French speaking market
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2018; joined the Cocoa Team in 2022
Speaks Spanish, English, French and Dutch
Your background in 1 sentence: Mexican multilingual logistics expert who fell in love with the world of nuts and cocoa.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: optimistic, curious, active, people-person, driven.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Mexico, Cuba, Madagascar
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: the range of flavours in cacao is mind boggling. So many profiles for so many different palates. The endless possibilities and combinations.
Little known fact about yourself: I played piano as part of a youth ensemble for 10 years in my hometown (Durango, Mexico).
María Salvadora Jiménez Rojas
Fine Flavour Cocoa Specialist – responsible for quality assessment, tastings, flavour advisory, events, storytelling and social media
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2012
Speaks Spanish, English and Dutch and has decent passive French, Portuguese and German skills (her words, not ours).
Your background in 1 sentence: Environmental and Agrarian lawyer, born and raised in a coffee farm in Costa Rica, studied in Germany and South Africa and landed in the Netherlands where my long love affair with cacao started.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: creative, passionate, curious, involved and empathetic.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: flavours are like music, it all depends on the mood you’re in.
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: its diversity – of colours, flavours, people, disciplines, topics – it’s a beautifully challenging and complex world in which you never stop learning!
Little known fact about yourself: I studied photography for a couple of years and once won a graffiti contest.
Marco Bakker
Commercial Team – Senior Trader
Happy member of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2010
Speaks Dutch, English, German, French, Russian
Your background in 1 sentence: International Trader with broad experience in spices and cocoa who believes whole heartedly in building and nurturing relationships based on mutual trust.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: happy, empathic, result driven, cooperative, inquisitive.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Madagascar, Ghana
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: the cocoa market is an exciting and sophisticated market that challenges you to constantly observe, learn and be inquisitive.
Little known fact about yourself: I’m a huge history buff and a Judo black belt.
Mathias Baines
Commercial Team – Trader
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2018
Speaks Dutch and English
Your background in 1 sentence: Sustainable Value Chains professional with a passion for agricultural products from all over the world, especially the tropics.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: sober, down to earth, focused, driven, kind hearted.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Vietnam.
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: the determinants of flavour development in cocoa beans and the amount of work that farmers have to put into their crop.
Little known fact about yourself: I lived in Ethiopia for 3 months while doing research for the Daarnhouwer Coffee Department. I own a sailboat and am an avid sailor.
Meresa Erfiliz
Logistics
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2017
Speaks Dutch and English
Your background in 1 sentence: Turkish-Dutch, studied Leisure Management, worked in production for Dutch TV and before landing at Daarnhouwer, worked for several years in commodities banking. Not planning on moving any time soon.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: sporty, outgoing, gregarious, organized, straightforward.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Vietnam.
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: how long the value chain is and how much work is involved before cocoa turns into chocolate; the variety of chocolate flavours beyond those we grew up with.
Little known fact about yourself: proud Mom to 2 boys and 1 cat and lifts weights every day.
Mirko Bellochio
Commercial Team – Trader
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since Sept 2020
Speaks Italian, English, Spanish, bit of Portuguese and claims not to speak Dutch (but he totally understands it).
Your background in 1 sentence: I started as an engineer then moved into compulsive chocolate eating, so I had to find a reason to justify the intake and became a cocoa trader.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: really, really, really, really funny
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Tanzania, São Tome, Peru, Ecuador and all the others
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: different flavours, origins, people and the amount of chocolate always around me.
Little known fact about yourself: When I was little, I dreamt of becoming a ninja. I love cooking but especially eating.
Rick Lubbers
Cocoa & Coffee Logistics Manager
Part of the Daarnhouwer Team since 2015 but worked for our sister company Continaf since 2002
Speaks Dutch and English.
Your background in 1 sentence: Financial background; before going into the Logistics world I worked for 12 years at the ING Bank.
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives: focused, structured, practical, analytical, critical.
Favourite Cocoa Origins: Costa Rica and Mexico
What was the thing that most surprised you about cocoa when you first started working with it: all the steps and people it takes to go from a pod full of beans to chocolate.
Little known fact about yourself: I love playing golf and enjoy good food and a nice IPA beer
