
Commodity markets are volatile, and understanding and monitoring the fluctuations is an important exercise for affected businesses.
Having an expert partner can help you manage these marketplace shifts, allowing you to focus on your company and bringing your products to market.
How Can the Barry Callebaut Risk Management Team Help?
Navigating the complexities of commodity markets can be time-consuming and confusing. This is where our experts can help.
Our team at Barry Callebaut brings decades of experience and expertise to help your company better understand the complexities of the commodity markets.
As a partner, Barry Callebaut succeeds when you succeed, which is why the company tailors its approach specific to your needs, ranging from a monthly commodity market discussion to a full suite of risk management solutions.

Here are our local experts:
Thomas Call, Commodity Market Analyst
“Creativity is one of the most important assets in examining the drivers behind commodity prices and finding ways to manage the risk presented by those price movements. I strive to think beyond conventional wisdom and understand the customer’s needs.”
Thomas worked as a commodity market analyst and trader prior to joining Barry Callebaut in 2017. At Barry Callebaut, Thomas’ focus is on the Dairy; U.S., World and Mexico Sugar; and Oils & Fats markets. With more than 15 years in commodity markets, Thomas has vast experience analyzing commodity market fundamentals and examining drivers behind price movements. He is an expert in commodity derivatives and has the ability to tailor risk management solutions to a wide variety of risk profiles.


Cynthia Hernandez, Cocoa Trader
"I strive to support our customers making the right decisions by translating complex market principles into tangible and easy-to-understand concepts, with uncompromised transparency and integrity. At Barry Callebaut I work relentlessly to ensure our customers have access to privileged research data, enabling them to arrive at an optimal formula that captures and mitigates potential risks."
Cynthia’s past experience includes more than 10 years in the soft commodity trading arena, working for trading houses in Latin America. Cynthia has also spent more than six years with Barry Callebaut North America, working in the sourcing, supply chain and trading fields. Cynthia’s experience enables her to understand the ever-changing dynamics of the global cocoa market. She aims to support her team, customers and stakeholders with making strategic decisions to manage and mitigate risk, as well as to avoid workflow disruptions and to deliver value across the supply chain.
Murali Venkata - Director - Cocoa Sourcing
"Customers are at the core of everything we do at Barry Callebaut. Cocoa is a volatile market, so I try to find ways and means to combine my passion for cocoa and trading to allow our customers to navigate the commodity markets with ease."
Murali has been with Barry Callebaut for more than four years, keeping the North American factories supplied with cocoa and raw material needs and analyzing cocoa and chocolate market trends. His previous roles specialized in trading soft commodities and portfolio management focusing on sourcing in South East Asia and trading cocoa out of Singapore and the US, have equipped Murali with more than twenty years of experience across the commodity supply chain. He is happy to speak with all stakeholders on cocoa market dynamics, sustainability activities in the industry and innovative ways to secure cocoa coverage for end users.
