Julien Simonis

Julien Simonis is Programme Manager of Cacao of Excellence and joined the team in 2023. Julien brings over 15 years of R&D experience across the chocolate industry, specialising in cacao sensory analysis. He previously served as a key contributor at Puratos-Belcolade from 2012 to 2021, where he coordinated international research projects focused on post-harvest processes and their impacts on chocolate taste. Julien played a key role as a sensory analysis reference for cacao products within the Puratos Group, providing training, and advising panels globally. He has been an integral member of the Cacao of Excellence Technical Committee since 2021. Julien holds an MBA from the IE Business School focused on Innovation Management and a Bachelor Double Major in Bioengineering and Nutrition Sciences from the Université catholique de Louvain.