TED Fellow Germán Santillán is reviving Indigenous chocolate-making practices through artisanal Mexican chocolate.
Why you should listen
Germán Santillán is founder of Oaxacanita Chocolate, a chocolate company that's empowering Indigenous communities in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, one of Mexico's culturally rich but economically poor regions. The company draws on Oaxaca's rich history as the cradle of chocolate and partners with cocoa farmers, traditional cooks and palm artisans to spark economic growth. In 2016, former president Barack Obama and the US Government named Oaxacanita Chocolate one of the best social projects of Latin America and the Caribbean as part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. Santillán holds a business science degree from the Technological University of the Mixtec and a leadership diploma from the University of Notre Dame.
