William Angleys tells us about his role in food and drink

Name​

William Angleys

Age​

36

Job title​

Sales director

Company and location​

I work for the global cacaofruit expert Cabosse Naturals, a brand by Barry Callebaut; and I am based at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Education​

I obtained a masters degree in food technology and processing engineering at University of Bordeaux at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Matériaux, D'Agroalimentaire et de Chimie. I also have a masters of science in food, nutrition and health from the same university and a specialised masters in management of agrifood business from Emlyon Business School in France.

What’s your favourite food/drink?

I like a lot of different foods, but my favourite is chocolate. Like all good things, it should be consumed with moderation and in accordance with a healthy lifestyle, but this treat brings a lot of benefits: it helps with cardiovascular health; improves brain function; boosts the immune system; and it is a powerful source of antioxidants.

What inspired you to enter F&B?​

I have always been interested in food, technology and innovations in this industry.  Being curious about food from different cultures, I always wanted to understand how things are done and how you can transform a raw product into delicious and healthy food. The good thing is that now, with Cabosse Naturals, I can combine it with driving the evolution towards tasty, nutritious food and drink that also does good for the planet and its people.

Tell us more about your role​

I am the sales director for Cabosse Naturals, focused on international B2B sales of a portfolio of upcycled cacaofruit ingredients. I joined the brand in 2021, with over 12 years’ experience in sales and business development, focused in food and health specialty ingredients.

My strong experience in international B2B sales helps me to clearly understand the markets, business and clients at an international level, but also supports me in comprehending and meeting the demands of both our customers and end consumers.

In my role at Cabosse Naturals, I lead a team of experts in their fields, from quality assurance to applications, and from sourcing to sales. With this team, we are equipped to showcase and promote not only the range of 100% pure cacaofruit ingredients, but also advocate the primary advantage of the product, which are made from 100% upcycled cacaofruit, making a positive impact on the planet and the local communities.

What does a typical day look like?​

My day-to-day activities are heavily influenced by the projects we are working on and the meetings I have on the day. There is a good mix of business and team management, travelling to customers for introduction meetings and project follow-up.

The good thing about having a team with a variety of profiles, expertise and tasks in Cabosse Naturals’ structure is that the topics covered by my position go from the raw materials sourcing to closing a sales contract, and shipping the product to a customer, with all the intermediate steps. These include production, quality assurance and development of applications for customers, for example.

Therefore, this is no typical day but a multitude of single days. It’s definitely not a boring job!

How did you get where you are today?​

During my food engineering studies, I had the opportunity to do a few internships, most of them in R&D, and all of them linked to the food industry. This gave me a strong technical background and a good understanding of the technical requirements as an ingredient supplier when starting my first job as a technical salesperson.

There, I could really understand the process of my customers and their needs. Next, I moved to a very fruit-focused position, selling technical ingredients solutions across the world, which gave me the chance to understand different cultures and different ways of doing business.

This helped to build a strong base that I could bring to Cabosse Naturals, as cacaofruit is also a fruit, of course. Cabosse Naturals brings innovation to our customers, with strong messaging around upcycling and supporting the local communities.

When you are having a bad day, what cheers you up?​

Eating a piece of dark chocolate always helps to improve my mood and combined with some running, it usually makes things better.

What is your favourite part about the food sector?​

Everyone needs food and I am really passionate about the innovations and technology in this industry. I really enjoy working for a business with a great purpose which helps to combat food waste. Traditionally, the cacaofruit has been harvested for its seeds (the cocoa beans) to use in the manufacture of chocolate. However, the seeds represent only about 30% of the fruit, meaning that 70% - its pulp and peel - has been discarded. Cabosse Naturals has created an innovative and unprecedented upcycling supply chain.

By upcycling cacaofruit, we produce unique and delicious ingredients that are not only good for the planet, but also for the consumers. This is the case with cacaofruit powder, which can act as a natural substitute for refined sugar. Cacaofruit juice, with its unique zesty fruitiness, provides a refreshing fruit base for a large range of beverages, including functional beverages, ready to drink teas, coffees and even beers and kombuchas.

If you could change one thing in the F&B sector, what would it be?​

Probably making it a cleaner industry, improving the environmental impact and making upcycling of by-products fully part of every process. I firmly believe that if we all take action at each step of the transformation chain, it only takes a small effort to see big results.

What’s next for you/what’s the dream?​

Making the cacaofruit a standard fruit would help to make a positive impact on the planet and on the farmers as they supply the pulp additionally to the beans, making it an additional source of revenue. It would also make fighting food waste the norm in the cocoa industry, which is definitely a necessity for every industry to limit its environmental impact.

Personally, and as a professional, I am dedicated to fighting food waste as it is a key factor in some of the major challenges facing the world today, such as climate change, health and sustainability. Reducing food waste is a significant factor in the rise of the upcycled food trend. I hope to contribute to the growth of Cabosse Naturals and I am eager to see more products made from upcycled cacaofruit.