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Creative Risk Management & Origin Sourcing Network

In becoming the largest and oldest cocoa bean processor in North America, we’ve amassed a wealth of information along the way. Our team brings over 98 combined years of experience in the industry to advise on fundamental and technical market outlooks for cocoa, sugar, dairy, fats and oils markets.

Over 85% of the price of our products is derived from underlying commodity costs, so market analysis and commodity risk management is vital to our livelihood. We can help you apply that knowledge to your business with custom-tailored tools to help mitigate your commodity exposures.

We have the ability to create customized price risk management strategies that are tailored to the risk tolerances and objectives of our customers. We are experienced in the use of ratios, combos and offer an array of price risk management tools (component locks, options contracts, etc.) and specialize in hedging solutions.

Meet the players on our commodity risk management team:

	Jeff Rasinski, Director of Commodities and Corporate Procurement Jeff has over 20 years’ of experience in commodity trading and procurement, including work with Mars Snackfoods USA, Nestle/Dreyers. Jeff oversees our cocoa press book, setting of product ratios and pricing of butter and powder, as well our hedging strategies with futures and options. Crop forecasting and fundamental analysis, including the fair value price model, is also part of Jeff’s responsibilities. He has direct purchasing responsibilities for: Sugar and Sweeteners, Dairy (Powders, butterfat, whey, lactose and functional proteins), Tropical and Specialty Oils, Energy: electricity and natural gas.

	Karl Walk, Director of Cocoa for Blommer Chocolate Kip brings over 25 years of experience in cocoa with extensive origin expertise. Kip’s responsibilities include the corporate strategy, procurement, import logistics, and quality control of the company’s 220,000 metric ton cocoa bean supply. In addition, Kip leads Blommer’s global corporate social responsibility program, managing projects in Indonesia, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. In February of 2010, he was named to the Cocoa Merchants Association of America Board of Directors and serves as Chair for the NCA’s Cocoa and Chocolate Regulatory Affairs Committee. He has chaired the Board of Cocoa Graders for the New York Board of Trade/ICE since 1999.

	Sheila Fortune, Manager of Commodity Hedging Shelia manages of futures structure book for Blommer. In addition, Sheila oversees technical and chart analysis and the determination of chart points to aid customers in their buying decisions. She has over 25 years of experience in the cocoa community, many with large Wall Street firms. She has been responsible for institutional trading, futures trading, technical analysis and arbitrage trading for high end chocolate manufacturers and trade houses. She also currently serves on the Contract Committee for the CMAA (Cocoa Merchants Association of America) and holds a Series 3 Commodity license, Series 7, 63 and 65 stock/equity licenses.

	Ann Cromarty, Commodity Procurement Manager Ann has 23 years of experience in commodity market and price analysis, statistical price modeling and forecasting of 11 different commodities, futures trading, and has Consulted for individual companies and industry groups. She has also worked in Corporate Procurement including working for Nabisco, and Johnson & Johnson. Ann oversees our tropical oils book, and in addition has procurement responsibility for polyols, artificial sweeteners, and lecithin.