Speakers

Hendrik Haase

Cocoa beans assessed by algorithms before a human hand touches them. Harvests predicted by AI before they happen. New products developed from data rather than a product developer’s gut feeling. Artificial intelligence is transforming the food industry faster and more profoundly than most companies realize. Hendrik Haase cuts through the hype, maps concrete applications across the entire value chain and delivers a clear-eyed outlook on what this means for businesses in the cocoa and chocolate industry right now.

Hendrik Haase is a communication designer, consultant and food activist. He works at the intersection of the food industry, digitalization and social change, advising companies, associations and institutions that want to understand how their sector is reinventing itself. As the author of “Food Code” and editor of the Digital Food Report 2025 – an annual analysis of the digital transformation in one of Europe’s largest and most demanding food markets – he combines deep industry knowledge with an outsider’s perspective. His keynotes cut through the noise: grounded in data, shaped by practice, and designed to leave audiences with a clearer picture of where their industry is actually heading.

Dr. Heidi Lankes
Halba, Division der Coop Genossenschaft

Food waste reduction in complex production environment

Heidi Lankes is Head of Development and Technology and Packaging Technology at HALBA, Division of Coop Cooperative. Her interests have always been chocolate, technical solutions, technology and innovation. Sustainability is a key focus for her, and sustainable production begins in product and packaging development.

Heidi Lankes studied food technology at the Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephan campus. She obtained her doctorate at the Chair of Process Engineering, specializing in powder technology. Since 2002, she has held various roles in the field of chocolate production, engineering and maintenance, initially at Kraft Foods/Mondelez, and since 2017 at HALBA.

Thomas Vanderstappen
Barry Callebaut

During this talk we will have a look at the Cocoa Futures prices evolution and the London Terminal Market. We will discuss latest movements, trends and outlook. Next to that, we will talk about the supply side of cocoa, what’s going on in the origins? Afterwards we will tackle the demand side of cocoa to conclude with an overall view of demand & supply.

Thomas Vanderstappen is an expert in the field of cocoa market dynamics with respect to the hedging of cocoa futures, beans differentials & Butter ratio’s. He has a track record of over 11 years for Barry Callebaut, world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products.

Martina Gaebler
GISCO (German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa)

Nicoletta Lumaldo
SWISSCO (Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa)

The cocoa sector faces complex social, environmental, and economic challenges that threaten the entire supply chain. The German (GISCO) and Swiss (SWISSCO) Initiatives for Sustainable Cocoa will present in this session how pre-competitive collaboration through multistakeholder initiatives is helping companies, the public sector, civil society and research tackle these issues together, creating shared value and long-term resilience. The session will also highlight concrete project examples that demonstrate practical steps toward a more sustainable future.

Nicoletta Lumaldo, Deputy Managing Director of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, is passionate about bringing people together and collaborating for greater collective impact. She has a diverse background in NGOs, the United Nations, government, higher education, and consulting. After a Lic. In Political Science, she specialised in Gender and holds a Master in Public Management and Policies.

Martina Gaebler has been Executive Secretary of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) since November 2023. GISCO is a multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together government, industry, retail and civil society to promote sustainable cocoa production. Prior to this role, she worked as advisor and project manager for the German Development Cooperation in Germany and abroad, gaining extensive experience in sustainable agricultural value chains and international cooperation. In her current position, she leads the organization’s secretariat and works with members to advance sustainability goals in the cocoa sector. She holds a Master of Arts in International Development from the University of Manchester, UK.

Dr. Daniel Kadow
August STORCK KG, DE

Daniel Kadow earned his PhD in Biology at the University of Hamburg, specializing in tropical crops. His research on cocoa took him to the Université de Yaoundé, the Cocoa Research Centre in Trinidad, the University of British Columbia, as well as to Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
Since 2013, he has been working at August STORCK KG in Chocolate Research & Development, where he is responsible for cocoa research. Daniel Kadow is also the current Chair of the Joint Cocoa Research Fund of CAOBISCO and ECA, and serves as Program Director of the Cocoa Round Table Hamburg.

Dr. Isabell Rothkopf
Fraunhofer IVV, Freising

Isabell Rothkopf studied Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Process Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (formerly the University of Karlsruhe, TH) and earned her PhD in Food Technology from the Technical University of Munich in 2023.
Since 2013, she has been working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (Fraunhofer IVV), initially as a doctoral researcher. In 2017, she succeeded Wolfgang Danzl and Gottfried Ziegleder in chocolate research at Fraunhofer IVV and assumed responsibility as supervisor of the Chocolate Working Group of the Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV) in Freising.
Since 2018, she has held a teaching assignment in “Chocolate Technology” at the Weihenstephan‑Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences.
Her research focuses on fat crystallization, fat migration and fat bloom, conching, analytics, and the utilization and processing of chocolate raw materials (milk powder, nuts, cocoa), as well as oil immobilization in spreads and fillings.

Dr. Yuantong Zeng
Buhler AG

MultiTherm TC of Buhler AG is developed for the determination of crystallization behavior of cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and chocolate. This instrument is specially designed to minimize the influence of ambient temperature. The cooling temperature is also selected to maximize the expansion of the exothermal reaction of cocoa butter (17.6°C), cocoa liquor (19.0°C), and chocolate mass (20°C). The so-called Buhler Crystallization Index (BCI) is calculated based on the information of the entire cooling curve, including the nucleation and crystal growth portions of the curve. BCI is the new industry standard when it comes to measuring the quality of cocoa butter.
This study investigates the crystallization behavior of cocoa butter in the presence of foreign fats and visualizes it using BCI measurements.

Yuantong Zeng studied food science, specializing in food process engineering, at ETH Zurich, where he conducted research into the shear- and seed-crystallization of chocolate and received his PhD in 2000.
Since 2000, he has worked at Bühler AG as a senior process engineer. He developed the Seed-Crystallization Process for chocolate tempering and invented the BCI-Method for determining the crystallization behavior of cocoa butter, cocoa mass and chocolate.
His research work also covers wet grinding processes using ball mills and colloid mills.

Leif Seidel
DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V.

The behavior of some selected sucrose alternatives and milk powder alternatives during the grinding with ball mill and roll refiner was investigated. The size distribution and shapes of the particles ground in cacao butter as well as their agglomeration and fat immobilization properties were analyzed. Those results were compared to the rheological properties of the suspensions and the composition and mechanical properties of the raw materials.

Leif Seidel studied Food Technology and Life Sciences Technologies at Ostwestfalen‑Lippe University of Applied Sciences. Since 2020, he has been pursuing his PhD at Geisenheim University.
Since 2025, he has been working as a research associate at the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), focusing on the fine milling of alternative chocolate raw materials.

Fouad Lilabadi
Jupiter Pistachios GmbH

Pistachios and chocolate are a perfect match: premium, indulgent, visually appealing, and full of flavor. This short talk explores why pistachios have become one of the most exciting ingredients in modern confectionery — from their distinctive green color and rich nutty taste to different applications such as kernels, pastes, fillings, toppings, and inclusions.

Fouad Lilabadi represents Jupiter Pistachios, a privately owned family company based in Hamburg, Germany. For more than 45 years, the company has specialized in the international pistachio trade, sourcing and supplying pistachios from selected origins around the world.

With deep expertise in origin, quality, processing, and supply chain requirements, Jupiter offers a wide range of pistachio products for the food industry, including inshell pistachios, kernels, chopped pistachios, pistachio paste, flour, and tailor-made pistachio solutions in both conventional and organic quality.

Dr. Morten Daugaard Andersen
AAK Denmark, DK

Principal Research Scientist, Chocolate Confectionery Fats
AAK AB
The fat composition is king in fat-continuous confectionery!
Ever since starting at AAK AB in 2007 Morten’s work has focused on improving the understanding of the triangular cross field between the fat phase, the performance on the confectionery production line and the micro and macro-scale properties of the confectionery application. These insights have been and are the cornerstones in our aim to bring value to the confectionery industry. As a global developer for confectionery solutions, Morten has been part of the development of nominated and award-winning confectionery solutions.

Christian Zacherl
Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV

The content of my presentation will cover the following points:

  • Overview of plant-based raw materials and proteins
    • Extraction
    • Functionality, nutritional value, sensory properties
    • Application potential
  • Methods for incorporating proteins into chocolate and bar products
  • Quality, acceptance, and potential

Christian Zacherl studied Food Technology at TUM Weihenstephan. Since 2006 he works at Fraunhofer IVV and gained in the past time plenty of experience in the area of food reformulation towards healthy and sustainable plant-based foods. He led various research projects facing topics such as salt-, fat- and sugar-reduction and protein- & fibre-enrichment, as well as the development of dairy and meat alternative products.

Currently Christian is active as Business Development Manager Food and acts hereby as bridge between the industry and the applied research and development, initiating cooperation and joint projects.

Noémi Weiss
Food Brewer AG

Chocolate Without Cocoa? Designing Flavor from Scratch
As cocoa supply faces increasing pressure, new technologies are redefining how chocolate can be made. From pea-based systems to cultivated cocoa, the question is no longer if we can recreate chocolate—but how authentic it can taste. This session explores the technological foundations of next-generation chocolate, focusing on fermentation, process design, and novel ingredient systems.

Noémi Weiss studied Life Sciences with a focus on Biotechnology at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). During her studies, she gained hands-on experience in cell culture techniques, working with plant, mammalian, and microbial systems.
Since 2023, she has been working at Food Brewer, where she currently holds the position of Lead Scientist. Her work focuses on the development of cell-based cocoa and coffee products, ensuring sensorial excellence in commercial applications. In addition, she has contributed to the flavour portfolio of Food Brewers plant-based solutions for cocoa-like applications, delivering high-quality, scalable ingredients for B2B partners.

Dr. Christian Klein
UMYNO Solutions GmbH

Trends in the confectionery industry emerge at lightning speed, yet traditional R&D cycles often lag behind by months—or even years. This “R&D lag” comes at a high cost in terms of market share and innovative strength.
In this keynote, Christian demonstrates how artificial intelligence is bridging the gap between trend detection and product readiness. Discover how AI‑powered approaches accelerate recipe development, predict sensory profiles, and radically shorten the path from the first idea to the store shelf.

After completing his studies in Frankfurt am Main, Christian began his career at the US‑based chemical company Celanese. Following several professional assignments in Germany, the United States, and Spain, he joined the Döhler Group, where he served as a member of the EU management team until 2019 and was also responsible for parts of the company’s digitalization strategy.
In 2020, Christian started building the UMYNO Suite, a SaaS platform designed to apply artificial intelligence and automation to beverage and food product development. He founded UMYNO Solutions in 2022.
Christian holds a Diplom‑Betriebswirt (BA) degree from Frankfurt, earned a triple‑accredited MBA, and completed his doctorate in England. Since 2016, he has been a lecturer at the private FOM University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt am Main and was appointed Professor of General Business Administration, with a focus on Marketing and Digital Media, in 2022.

Dr. Frank Heckel
Lebensmittelchemisches Institut (LCI) des Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Süßwarenindustrie e.V., DE

Regulation (EC)3190/2024 bans the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in certain materials and articles intended to come into contact
with food. Chocolate moulds made from polycarbonate are directly in scope of the regulation. A transition period until January 2028 allows polycarbonate moulds to be produced until January 2028 and sold until January 2029. After that, new moulds must be produced with BPA-free polymers. The presentation summarizes the activities organized by the Association of the German Confectionery Industries e. V. (BDSI) with its Food Chemistry Institute (LCI) to identify and test alternative polymers in industrial chocolate production environment. It furthermore gives an insight into the current regulatory development at European level.

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Dr. Frank Heckel is a state-certified food chemist and received his doctorate from the University of Würzburg. After a short time in a commercial laboratory, he was responsible for the areas of migration analysis, safety and quality at a well-known packaging manufacturer for 12 years. Since 2018 he works for the Association of the German Confectionery Industries and became director of its Food Chemistry Institute (LCI) in 2019.
His research areas include food safety with the focus on (process) contaminants, but also food quality, always with special attention on reliable and valid instrumental analysis. With regards to food matrices, he mainly deals with cocoa, chocolate, fine bakery wares, ice cream, confectionery and savoury snacks.
He is member of the board of the German Cocoa Foundation, the BfR Commission for contaminants in the food chain and the board of the Food Chemistry Society. In his position as director of LCI, he is member of several mainly food safety related scientific advisory boards and working groups in Germany and on European association level, namely FoodDrinkEurope, CAOBISCO (the Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe), ESA (the European Snacks Association) and the Food Federation Germany.

Robin Pöstgens
Lebensmittelchemisches Institut des BDSI e. V.

A nearly 20 year old method under re-evaluation. Are the calculation parameters to determine CBE-values in cocoa butter and chocolate still accurate and which challenge become obvious running the analyses according to ISO 23275? This presentation summarizes and discusses the results of a critical method review for the determination of CBE conducted by the Food Chemistry Institute (LCI).

Robin Pöstgens is a state-certified food chemist and doctoral student of the University of Bonn at the Food Chemistry Institute of the Association of the German Confectionery Industries (LCI). His research field includes food safety (e. g. mineral oil hydrocarbons) as well as food authenticity analysis of cocoa- and chocolate products.

Prof. Koen Dewettinck
Ghent University / Cacaolab BV

The sensory perception of chocolate and fat-based fillings is governed by complex structural and lubrication phenomena occurring during oral processing. Conventional steady-shear measurements capture only part of this behaviour and often fail to predict attributes such as creaminess, smoothness, and melt perception.
In this presentation, we explore how oscillatory rheology, both small-amplitude (SAOS) and large-amplitude (LAOS), combined with tribological measurements can provide deeper insights into the structure–function relationships of fat-continuous suspensions. SAOS is used to probe linear viscoelastic properties related to particle network strength and fat crystal structuring, while LAOS reveals nonlinear deformation and yielding behaviour relevant to oral breakdown. Complementary tribological measurements, performed under conditions mimicking tongue–palate contact, provide information on lubrication regimes associated with perceived smoothness and coating.
By integrating these methods, we demonstrate how rheological and tribological fingerprints can be linked to key sensory attributes during consumption. This approach offers a powerful framework for formulation optimization, enabling the design of chocolate and filling systems with tailored mouthfeel while supporting process and ingredient innovation.

Prof. dr. ir. Koen Dewettinck is senior full professor and head of the Laboratory of Food Structure and Function (formerly known as the Laboratory of Food Technology and Engineering) of the Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health of Ghent University (Belgium). Since 1999 he leads an international research group of about 30 people that is involved in food design on a mesoscopic scale. The main product groups of interest are dairy products, margarines and shortenings, and chocolate and confectionary products. Koen Dewettinck founded the UGent spin-off Cacaolab bv in November 2012. The company focuses entirely on research and development in the area of cocoa, chocolate and related products and also offers trainings in the same domain.

Dr. Johannes Burkard
CHoNova AG / ETH Zürich

(Authors: Johannes Burkard, Frédérique Delahaye, Erich Windhab):
The DetachLog technology, developed at ETH Zürich and CHoNova AG, uses Ultrasound Damping Spectroscopy to reveal chocolate structure formation kinetics from tempering to demolding. Both off-line laboratory and in-line mold-mounted versions monitor ultrasound amplitude damping, local temperature, and 3D acceleration/rotation throughout the molding process. For filled chocolate products, shell formation and filling structuring are reliably tracked across even complex molding-line configurations, with reproducible structure formation patterns observed in both shell forming and filling phases. During rotating shell forming, characteristic sloshing flow patterns are detected and compared with simulations to optimize shell wall uniformity. Vibration is shown to critically extend shell-forming flow duration. Cold-forming and frozen-cone processing reveal analogous but accelerated structuring mechanisms, supported by physics-based modeling.

Johannes Burkard holds a Dr. sc. from ETH Zurich, where his PhD research spanned chocolate additive manufacturing, sensory perception, neuroimaging, and pupillometry. He also earned a Master's in Food Science (Food Process Engineering) with distinction and a Bachelor's in Food Science — both from ETH Zurich. Professionally, he currently serves as CTO of CHoNova AG, leading project management, technology development, client acquisition, and grant writing within the International chocolate ecosystem. Simultaneously, he serves in the managing board of SVIAL-ASIAT AG, focusing on data-driven network and event management at the interface of academia and the agro-food industry. Earlier roles include senior project management at microPow AG, where he oversaw R&D of fat-based encapsulation powders, an internship at Migros subsidiary BINA, and teaching assistantships at ETH Zurich.

Prof. em. Dr. Erich Windhab
ETH Zürich / ChoNova AG

(Author: Erich Windhab):
Cocoa is a cornerstone agricultural commodity, yet current processing practices leave a significant share of the cocoa fruit underutilized, representing both a missed economic opportunity and an avoidable environmental burden. Cutting-edge innovations developed by ETH Zürich, CHoNova AG and KOA AG can now be employed to convert previously discarded pod components into nutritious, affordable food ingredients, while simultaneously reducing waste and creating new revenue streams for farmers and local processors. Technological insight will be given to the processing of high quality "Whole Fruit Chocolate" and its technofunctional properties, including the tempering, molding, crystallization/solidification and demolding characteristics under authentic processing conditions.

Erich Windhab has been educated in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Karlsruhe (Germany), where he also received his PhD. During his PhD he started his own engineering enterprise. From 1986-92 he served in building up the German Institute of Food Technology (DIL) as its Research Director. From 1988-1992 he was also active as PD at the Technical University of Munich for Fluid Dynamics and Rheology. In 1992 he became full professor in Food Process Engineering at ETH Zürich. Since the end of 2022 he is professor emeritus still interacting with ETH and chairing the Food Technology Platform of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences (SATW). He has been awarded a number of prestigious international awards like the Blaise Pascal Medal of the European Academy of Sciences. In 2021 he also received the IAFoST (Int. Academy of Food Science & Technology) and the EFFoST (European Federation of Food Science & Technology) Lifetime Achievement Awards. Erich Windhab published more than 550 peer reviewed articles, filed ca. 95 patent applications, initiated / founded more than 10 start-up companies and acts as member of industrial and governmental advisory boards.

Andrew Moriarty
Expana

Following successive years of deficits and record high prices in 2024, cocoa prices have fallen and the market has returned to surplus due to demand destruction.
However, the main structural production problems in West Africa were not addressed during that period, and weather risks may amplify the risk to supply in the current year.
Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV) continues to spread unchecked, farm maintenance has hit record lows, and delays in payments to farmers as well as higher input costs and a lack of fertiliser use mean that yields remain very poor. If demand increases substantially from its 2025 lows, the cocoa market may again find itself facing production shortfalls.

Andrew joined Expana in 2020 with years of experience in risk management, creating and executing hedging strategies for soft commodities and leading commercial cost price negotiations with some of Europe’s largest CPG companies. He oversees the fundamental analysis teams for the cocoa market at Expana, cultivating and analysing proprietary fundamentals datasets to produce global supply & demand forecasts and insights for the cocoa industry.

Manuel Höhener
Bühler AG

AI is attracting growing interest in the chocolate industry as a tool to support process understanding, quality, efficiency, and decision-making. From the perspective of process technology and equipment solutions, this presentation will take a practical look at where AI may already offer value today, where future opportunities may emerge, and where expectations are likely to exceed technical reality. It will also discuss key limitations, risks, and the broader implications for the chocolate industry

• The current relevance of AI for the chocolate industry
• Potential fields of application in process, quality, and production-related activities
• The importance of data, measurement, and process understanding as a foundation
• Technical and practical limitations of current AI approaches
• Risks, expectations, and a realistic view of the road ahead

Manuel Höhener is Head of R&D for chocolate at Bühler AG in Switzerland, where he leads innovation and development in chocolate processing technologies, equipment, and lifecycle solutions. With a background in Precision Engineering and Mechatronics, he combines deep expertise in chocolate process engineering with experience in measurement and control technology, sensor systems, and data analysis. Before taking over his current role in 2014, he was Product Manager for chocolate refiners and led the related development team. His work today focuses on process innovation and technology development for the chocolate industry, complemented by smart and digital approaches where relevant.