Meet Scott Johnson

Meet Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson is an expert on everything cocoa. We have tried to give a glimpse on his credentials.

He began his career with Cargill, where he quickly found his way to the chocolate world - managing Cargill’s Research and Development group for chocolate, where he holds several patents. After Cargill, Scott joined Mars where he held a number of roles in R&D. He spent many years in origin countries conducting primary research on cocoa post-harvest practices. He also focused on developing flavor and physical/chemical characteristics in the beans (such as optimizing fat and flavanol levels). All his experience helped him in building some of the largest cocoa fermenteries in the world from the ground up to support new supply chains.

He has had the good fortune of being able to work in every continent (except Antarctica), has served on a number of industry associations in various capacities, and has taught chocolate schools all over the world. His time in origin countries and working with farmers has fueled his passion around cocoa - particularly to nurture and improve sustainability through technology transfer to farmers. He is currently donating his time through a number of NGO’s to facilitate the same. 

During his time at Cargill and Mars, he was recognized numerous times for excellence in research - including the Presidential Award for Research, the Mars Directors Award (two times), the Mars Make the Difference Award, the Cargill President’s Award for Outstanding Innovation, the Cargill Research Achievers Circle Award, and the Cargill Chairman’s Innovation Award (two times).

Scott has been married for 25 years to his wife Kirsten, and they have one daughter who is in her final year at University. In his down time, Scott is active with his church, where he has served on the leadership team for the past 5 years. He enjoys cooking, hunting, kayaking, and playing with his dog Daisy.

Fermentation 101 with Scott Johnson:

Join us Saturday October 3 2021, 10 am – 12 Noon Eastern Standard Time US for a webinar on "Fermentation 101 with Scott Johnson"

Fermentation 101 webinar will provide an overview of cocoa fermentation, touching on the science behind it, multiples types of fermentation, important variables to control (and why), and how to easily measure  fermentation progress  in the field. At the conclusion of the session, you will have an understanding of why it’s important to ferment, how you can employ different techniques to create multiple products from your existing bean source, techniques that can be used to improve your quality, and how to speak to your customers to help them understand the value this brings.

Scott Johnson and CocoaTown are bringing this free webinar as a part of our commitment to empowering cocoa farmers to climb the economic ladder.

Feel free to share this information with your contacts, cocoa farmers in your area and anyone who can benefit.