Our Team

We’re here to build and strengthen the forest conservation economy. Every day, we’re working towards protecting and enriching forest biodiversity, building more equitable supply chains with our growing network of smallholder farmer producers, and bringing the rest of the world more incredible sources of exquisite forest-based products.

 

On-the-Ground

  • Founder and CEO

    Ariana started her career as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in their DC and New York City offices where she advised clients across the government, non-profit, and private sectors. She then joined TechnoServe as a Fellow in their Ethiopia office and joined them full-time thereafter supporting a range of projects with Nespresso, Mondelez, Gates Foundation, JDC, the Swedish Government, and Diageo to ultimately design and build more sustainable and equitable value chains and market systems. Her accumulated experiences, passion for sustainable and delicious food, and deepening sense of responsibility to tackle complex societal issues are what led to Forested Foods. Prior Forested Foods, Ariana co-founded Common Farms, an indoor farm in Hong Kong, as well a North Korean arts fundraising series.

    Ariana grew up in Hong Kong before she moved to the United States to attend Syracuse University, where she triple-majored in Advertising Communications, Entrepreneurship, and Economics. She recently received her MBA from Yale’s School of Management, with a concentration of courses from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

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  • General Manager - Ethiopia

    Netsanet establishes and manages our relationships with the farming communities and stakeholders we work with. She was born and raised in Addis Ababa and graduated from Unity University majoring in Marketing Management. Netsanet is a serial entrepreneur. Prior Forested Foods, she launched ventures in the hospitality and education sectors. She helped build and establish a premium guesthouse in Addis Ababa, as well as co-founded and co-manages a primary school (Bete-Tibeb), which aims to promote and provide quality education to disadvantaged primary schoolers in the Azezo town of Gondar, Ethiopia. Her work with Forested Foods is the manifestation of her passion for forestry and conservation in Ethiopia.

  • USA GM and Director, Business Development


    Crisha is a seasoned and passionate hospitality and food professional. Her experiences extend from coffee trading, to restaurant design and launch, to creative research and development for commercial food goods. As a third culture kid - having grown up in Australia with Sri Lankan roots - she has always approached her studies and work with a global lens, with educational and culinary experiences across Brazil, Spain, Turkey, and Myanmar. Crisha is currently based in New York City, a global food capital, to help Forested Foods go-to-market and grow within the United States. Her enthusiasm for deepening relationships within communities (both forests and consumer markets), continuous learning of food supply chains and current agricultural issues are what led her to Forested Foods. Ask her about her interests in the cultural history of foods, or her love for photography or her random-yet-useful ceramic projects! Crisha received her Bachelors in Physiology and Communications at Monash University in Australia and was classically trained in commercial cookery and patisserie at the William Angliss Institute in Australia.

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  • Forest Operations Coordinator

    Amsalu has more than a decade of experience supporting smallholder farmers as well as building a healthier agriculture sector for Ethiopia through roles in both the government and TechnoServe Ethiopia. In the Ethiopian government, Amsalu has served as a development agent and agriculture expert supporting rural communities in Majang Forest, Gambela. At TechnoServe, Amsalu worked as a sustainability and market research business advisor linking forest communities, notably beekeepers and coffee farmers to local buyers. Amsalu has a Diploma in Natural Resource Management from Gambela ATVT College, a Bachelors in Agricultural Economics from Mizan Teppi Universit, as well as an MBA from Lead Star College. In addition to English and Amharic, Amsalu speaks Majangr, Afan Oromo, Keficho, and Shekiga.

  • Sr. Business Operations Coordinator

    Ananiya brings his extensive experience in analytical problem solving and consulting to Forested Foods as our Senior Business Operations Coordinator. Upon graduating with his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Addis Ababa University (AAU), he was an Innovation and Intelligence Analyst within the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology working on big data. He then joined the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)'s strategic advisory and consulting wing, the Analytics team, that served to design strategies and programmatic solutions that improve the livelihoods of Ethiopia's smallholder farmers. Passionate about project management, Ananiya is currently completing a postgraduate degree in project management from AAU.

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  • Financial Management Coordinator

    Bemnet handles our accounting and financial management activities as well as helps us build critical systems, processes, and stakeholder relationships. Prior to Forested Foods, Bemnet worked in accounting at a coffee exporting company. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Bemnet received her BA in Accounting and Finance from Addis Ababa University (AAU) and is currently pursuing her MBA at AAU. Aside from her accounting and finance skills, Bemnet is an avid photographer and marketer, and is the co-founder and content producer for The Hive Creatives, a digital marketing and production company.

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  • Production Associate

    Addisu was born in Hagereselam, a town in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, and grew up in Hawassa. He then moved to Addis Ababa to attend Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU), where he earned his BSc in Food Science & Nutrition and is currently completing his Masters in the same field. At Forested Foods, Addisu is helping us establish our agroprocessing site and connects the dots along our supply chain - from field to processing and finally, product development. His passion for the natural and organic food production industry is driven by his mission to provide healthy and nutritious food products to people. Outside of work, he is an avid graffiti art enthusiast, plays soccer, and keeps a full social calendar.

  • Aynaddis was born and raised in Wollo before moving to Addis Ababa. At Forested, Aynaddis manages hygiene control and honey packing.

  • Jr. Sales Associate
    Obsinet was born and raised in Adama and moved to Addis Ababa to attend Addis Ababa Science and Technology University where she earned her BSc in Food Science and Nutrition. At Forested, Obsinet support our sales efforts and is motivated by contributing what she can to keep our planet safe. Outside of work, Obsinet is passionate about art, especially landscape painting and drawing.

  • Director, Conservation Finance

    Justine supports our financial management, reporting, and fundraising functions. She previously worked in agribusiness investment in Uganda and Tanzania, where she held leadership roles at cereal, cocoa, cotton, and vanilla companies and a rural impact investment fund. Prior to working in the agricultural sector, she was a management consultant for global financial services institutions at Booz Allen Hamilton in New York. She is a member of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability's Conservation Finance Working Group, which leads cross-industry research to increase investment in more biodiverse and resilient ecosystems. Justine holds an MPS in Global Development from Cornell University and a BBA in Finance from the College of William & Mary.

  • Jr. Finance and Admin Associate

    Feven was born and raised in Addis Ababa where she also received her BA in Accounting at St. Mary University. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies and reading about new developments in technology. She is very passionate about computers and software technologies. Aside from the accounting, Feven is good online marketer.

  • Mamo Anbese was born and raised in Shewa Robit. At Forested, Mamo manages the team’s energy levels by ensuring we stay caffeinated. Aside from making coffee, Mamo loves cooking.

 

Advisory Board

  • Heather is committed to lifting poor households out of poverty through sustainable business models and inclusive agricultural market systems. An international development professional with 14 years of experience across East Africa, Heather focused on Ethiopia the majority of this time. During her 11 years at TechnoServe, she built and led teams implementing development projects, established and managed donor and partner relationships, and designed and implemented new projects that leverage business solutions to poverty through corporate partnerships and market systems development. Her portfolio included the Majang Forest Livelihoods project, which strengthened the market system for forest honey, among other forest products, in an UNESCO-registered forest biosphere area. This project sowed the seeds of inspiration for Forested Foods’ business model. She currently works as a consultant, now based in Mexico.

  • Una Hrnjak leads climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy and water stewardship efforts for Starbucks. In this role, she partners closely with commodity teams across the company to adopt climate and water smart ag practices, she manages and grows key collaborative partnerships to scale the company's planet positive efforts around watershed and landscape restoration investments, and helps the company with embedding sustainability across the business. Prior to Starbucks, Una was the Senior Manager of Global Sustainability at Gap Inc. where she led company sustainability strategy efforts around material issues including climate, water, and human rights. She managed several key programs in Gap's supply chain including serving as the Deputy Chief of Party of the Gap Inc. and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Women + Water Alliance focused on improving the health and well-being of cotton farming communities in India touched by Gap Inc.'s business. She also led sustainability efforts at Banana Republic helping the brand create their long-term sustainability aspirations. Before working in-house roles in sustainability, Una worked in management consulting supporting Fortune 500 clients, international development organizations and the federal government. Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Una is passionate about supporting her homeland. Outside of work, Una volunteers with the Jericho Foundation, Women for Women International and serves as an Advisor to Peace by Piece International. Una holds a MA from American University focused on the intersection of the private and public sector in achieving the SDGs as well as a BA in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, with a minor in Women's Studies from Miami University. She is passionate about people and the planet, and pets - especially her two fur babies Tucker and Oliver.

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  • Jacie is passionate about leveraging enterprise to drive sustainable development. She is a Co-Founder of and the Managing Director of GreenPath Food. Prior to GreenPath, Jacie advised teams founding early-stage social ventures in the San Francisco Bay Area. She formerly worked as a Technical Advisor and Manager at TechnoServe, where she supported a portfolio of market-based agriculture and enterprise development programs across East Africa. Jacie has supported and consulted on a variety of ventures focused on value chain development, smallholder training and extension, producer certification, and environmental marketing. Before migrating to warmer climates, Jacie grew up on a family farm in northern Wisconsin. She loves running, traveling, and all things coffee.

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  • Amy is currently Google’s Marketing Communications Lead for their Global Food Program. She has spent her entire career in food and beverage communications marketing, holding senior leadership, C-suite counselor positions in the food and beverage practices of two of the most respected food agencies in the world: Ketchum and Edelman. Clients have included Fortune 500 global food companies and their brands, commodity boards, NGO's and disruptor brands in the B2C and B2B channels. In 2019, she started Marin Restorative Communications to bring the same award-winning, cutting-edge communications strategies and tools used by top marketers to clients who are working to reimagine the food system. Most recently, she took up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with the incredible team at Google to help scale and educate people about vitally important initiatives and solutions in food waste reduction, biodiversity enhancement, the circular economy, and water/carbon issues -- all while celebrating delicious food that brings people together.

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  • Mefthe is an international development professional with over 20 years of experience working across sectors. She’s currently the Regional Director for TechnoServe’s East Africa Team. For the past 12+ years, she has been managing and operating teams on the ground in Ethiopia, including leading country-level platforms. With TechnoServe Ethiopia, she has managed large-scale value chain development programs funded by major donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nespresso, and USAID.  Prior to TechnoServe, she was the Country Coordinator for BBC Media Action in Ethiopia and, on behalf of Ernst & Young developed privatization strategies for Ethiopian public enterprises and business process improvements for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. 

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  • Loick is the Vice President of Business development at Brightseed. A leader in bioactive compound discovery in plants. Before Brightseed, Loick has been working in the food industry and more specifically at major food-ingredients manufacturers such as Cosucra, Naturex, Givaudan, Dohler. He always focused on Sales, Marketing and Business Development and grew into leading entire divisions. While working with these leaders of the industry in multiple regions of the world, Loick developed not only a wide network but also a deep understanding of the food industry value chain. He helped optimize and innovate that value chain by using his strong technical product understanding, his focus on Health & Nutrition, and his vision of what the food consumption of the future will look like. Loick has a Master's degree in Biological Engineering with a focus on Food Technology from the VUB in Brussels and obtained an MBA from Yale University. Outside of work, Loick loves to discover idyllic surf spots with his wife and two boys.

  • Tastemaker, writer, editor and lecturer, Dana Cowin is an evangelist for good food and good people. Cowin is founder of DBC Creative, a brand consultancy focusing on businesses in the hospitality industry such as fast casual brands like Dig Food Group. Cowin launched The Broadlies, a multi-media platform spotlighting and nourishing voices of diverse women in the food world. The initiatives include Giving Broadly featuring foods from women-founded businesses; Coaching Broadly for creatives figuring out their next projects; podcast Speaking Broadly, and Supporting Broadly, which provides angel investments in women-owned businesses, scholarships, mentorships and contributions for not-for-profits.

    Cowin was Editor in Chief of Food & Wine Magazine for more than 20 years overseeing all editorial aspects of the brand including print, digital, books.

    A sought-after speaker, Cowin has been a judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” a presenter at TedX Manhattan, a motivational speaker for brands like Bacardi, lecturer at the Food & Wine Classic and many other food festivals and other events.

    A noted author, Cowin in 2014 published “Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and Over 100 Delicious Recipes,” which garnered a spot on many “Best of Fall” lists. Her work is also included in several anthologies.

    Cowin is committed to helping fight hunger and increase job opportunities through her philanthropic work on the boards of Hot Bread Kitchen, Food Education Fund and City Harvest.

 

Our Partners