Mr Amine BENNANI : President of the Moroccan Association of Berries Producers / Président de l'Association Marocaine des Producteurs de Fruits Rouges - Morocco.

President of the Berry grower’s association, Mr. Bennani is an agricultural engineer who graduated from IAV Hassan II, in 2001 he became director of an agricultural inputs marketing company. It is also a producer of berries. In 2019, he was elected president of the Moroccan association of Berry grower’s.

New Products Launching Manager at Planasa

Alfonso López, an agronomic engineer with a master’s in food engineering, brings extensive international expertise to the table. From UC Davis in California, USA, to his current role as new product launch manager at Planasa, he has over a decade of experience driving innovation in berries, blending technical knowledge with international market strategies.

Camilo Souto Escalona, Agricultural Civil Engineer and Doctor in Engineering with a specialization in Water Resources for Agriculture from the University of Concepción, Chile. Dr. Souto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Water Resources at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Concepción. In 2018, he completed a Doctoral Internship at the “Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources” at the “University of California, Davis, USA”. He is currently a Visiting Professor in the “Department of Horticulture” at “Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA” and is conducting a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). His research has focused on the use of new technologies for irrigation management and how farmers can use information to decide the timing and amount of water to apply. He has experience in programs related to technology transfer for small, medium, and large farmers, and water management programs for agriculture.

Roger Horak established United Exports, a vertically integrated, precision agricultural company, in 2002.

In 2006, Roger identified the opportunity for an exciting new series of blueberry genetics that were in their infancy. Roger’s funding and development led to the registration of the Early Blue and Next Progeny varieties, which are sold under the OZblu® brand. 

As the founder and executive chairman of the United Exports Group, which now produces OZblu® blueberries in 12 countries and supplies premium blueberries to all key global consumption markets, Roger continues to drive the company’s business strategy and ESG principles.  

Mr. Martino obtained his undergraduate degree as agricultural engineer at the University of Chile and got his postgraduate degree in International Marketing of Food & Agricultural Products at the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom. He has worked for more than 25 years in the food industry, most of this time in management positions in the blueberry industry, but he has also held management responsibilities in other industries such as nuts, cereals, functional ingredients and branded fast moving consumer goods. Even though he headed teams in quality and operations control, most of his expertise has been developed in the commercial area, mostly dealing with global markets. All throughout he has had the privilege of working closely with a myriad of growers, exporters, suppliers, customers, consultants, company owners, CEO’s, functional managers and teams from different nationalities and profiles. One common factor of all these agents is that they must make important operational and strategic decisions on a daily basis. The process and strategies through which these decisions are elaborated and finally made, and the consequences for the individual business or for the whole value chain, have become one of Mr. Martino’s main interests.

Anas is an Agronomist Engineer and studied at the National School of Agriculture in Morocco. He has worked for a number of AgTech companies and joined WayBeyond to help transform the protected cropping industry towards more sustainable food production. Anas is passionate about applying innovative technologies to solve real-world problems in the agricultural industry, and enjoys collaborating with other entrepreneurs and leaders in the AgTech space.

Working with plants and growers is my passion.

Born in the famous “Westland” in the Netherlands, I grew up between the greenhouses. For over 35 years, I have been working with plants and growers across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

It’s about working together with local growers to find solutions to climate change, optimize plant balance, growth, yield, and fruit quality. That is my true passion. For each place in the world, for each crop, for each greenhouse, there is always one or more solutions tailored to local needs.

Within my 18-year career in marketing, I've gained experience in various industries such as event management, technology, FMCG, consumer healthcare, and now with Coregeo, who specialize in offering services tailored to the needs of the fresh produce industry. I love working with people in the fresh produce industry; their passion for the products they produce rivals that of all the industries I have worked in.

But it’s probably no surprise to anyone to hear that the fresh produce industry needs some support when it comes to bringing the category to life and engaging and motivating consumers to select more fresh produce products at the point of purchase. Uniting specialist expertise in IP protection, strategic marketing, brand management, quality assurance, compliance, territory management and licensing, Coregeo transforms fresh produce into global FMCG brands.

Huan Zhang is a berry agriculture consultant in China and the founder of Twinkle Star Berry Consulting Company. He earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University's Small Fruits Horticulture Program, gaining extensive experience in working with berry growers and breeding programs.

Huan's career includes valuable experience with an international berry company and an international agriculture consulting firm. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and advancing the berry industry. In his personal life, Huan enjoys spending time in the fields with his wife and daughter, fostering a family passion for agriculture.

Ms. Ines Buiza Calero holds a double degree in Law and Business Administration from the University Pablo de Olavide (Spain), master’s in international Relationships at the Escuela de Organizacion Industrial in Spain, with extensive international experience amongst others, within the Spanish Embassy in Kenya.

Fundamentally, she developed her career as contracts manager in construction projects for multinational companies, negotiating large contracts with clients and main subcontractors. Since 2020, she is part of Fall Creek as Legal Counsel for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) where she leads the international expansion project of the company in Morocco as well as she manages all plant IP matters within the organization.

Born in Tangier, Morocco. Business major Graduate, University of New Orleans, USA. General Manager | MEA,FPS food process solutions corp.

For the past 3 years I have opened offices, warehouses, recruited and trained Engineers, Sales and office staff in multiple countries. Expert in End-to-End Engineering solutions for the food industry across all Fruits and Vegetables. While FPS Manufactures in Canada and globally, I manage MEA From our Tanger Med Morocco HQ and that includes a full team in multiple countries, Equipment installations, commissioning, customer training, spare parts and logistics. All, while developing my portfeuille, Exhibiting Globally, supporting my customers and expanding my business relations to reach each and every food industry leader.

Jorge Duarte is a senior agronomist with a bachelor's degree in Agronomy, specializing in Hortofruticulture from the University of Algarve. He has been working with berries since 2004, gaining experience at two leading companies in Portugal. Since 2012, he has focused on providing specialized advisory services within Portugal.

In 2015, Jorge founded Hortitool Consulting to expand his consulting business. Today, Hortitool Consulting is a leading provider of consulting services for strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry production in Portugal.

On the international stage, Jorge has been active since 2015, working primarily across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. His expertise has taken him to numerous countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Romania, Austria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, India, and Egypt. Jorge has advised leading companies and projects in the berry sector, covering more than 1,000 hectares of cultivated land by 2024.

Thomas Drahorad is CEO of NCX Drahorad, a service company founded in 1982. For more than fifteen years, Drahorad has been active in the berry category on a professional level, with an international trade activity (export and import) and a series of initiatives to promote and develop the berry category.

He participated as a speaker at the Global Berry Congress in Amsterdam (2019), is the promoter of the Mirtillo Business Day event (2019), of Italian Berry Day (2021) and International Blueberry Days (2023), of the Berry Retail Monitor in the Italian retail sector and is the chief editor of the thematic website Italian Berry (with 20,000 visits per month) and author of numerous publications in the international trade press.