Frank Homann, CEO

Frank started his career in the Danish Army. During his nine years in the army, in his spare time, he had several private side-projects, hereunder expeditions in Laos and Burma. He also made a documentary film from Nicaragua. After leaving the Royal Guards Regiment and army life, Frank worked as the Chief Operating Officer for a leading Mexican security company. Post-MBA, he returned to Europe where he worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. He was later to start Zensys, a high technology company focused on wireless communication between simple nodes. Zensys was located in Berkeley, California, and was acquired by Sigma Design Inc. After a short stint working on a poverty reduction initiative Frank started Xoco in 2007. He is also the CEO of investment fund PRIMUM. Frank holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and is a graduate of the Danish Royal Officers’ Academy. He lives in Mexico with his wife and children.

Jose Luna, Chief Corporate Controller

Jose began his career in his native country Guatemala working for an international recognized audit firm. He relocated to Nicaragua in 2007 to lead the firm’s Nicaraguan office as the General Manager. He then moved on to work for one of the largest conglomerates in Nicaragua as chief controller, where he supervised 15 different subsidiaries within agriculture, non profit, micro financing, real estate, and tourism. . He joined Xoco in August 2010. Jose is a certified public accountant from USAC in Guatemala and a passionate football fan. Jose lives in Nicaragua and has two sons.

Gifford Laube, Manager of Technical Operations

Gifford joined the Xoco team in October 2010, bringing with him six years of development and farm management experience in Honduras and Nicaragua. As General Manager of an organic coffee farm and popular ecotourism destination in Nicaragua, Gifford has worked with certifiers, millers, cuppers, and exporters to ensure the delivery of a quality, ecological crop. Gifford holds a Master’s degree in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Lawrence University. As a specialty coffee and chocolate aficionado, Gifford is excited to be part of an industry-changing, quality-oriented cocoa company. Gifford currently lives in San Pedro Sula with his wife and two sons.

Juan Carlos Saenz, Manager of Nicaragua Field Operations

Juan Carlos has managed a number of cattle ventures and he has been the general manager and operations manager for two vegetable export companies in Nicaragua. Juan Carlos also has his own cattle farm and knows just about everyone in the Matagalpa-Jinotega region of Nicaragua where fine cocoa is grown. He holds a Bachelor degree from UNAN-CUR in Matagalpa as well as a Master’s degree in business from the UCA-TEXAS A&M. He lives with his wife and kids in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.