Meet the Team ...
We are the mold-breakers!
Incorporated in September 2018, Lizard Earth now features a team of more than 100 employees working alongside our family farmers and on our own Agro-forestry Cocoa Gardens.
Founder & Managing Director
Daniel founded Lizard Earth in 2018. His early professional career was forged in Namibia where he worked in the CBNRM-Sector before joining the charity Welthungerhilfe as a Traceability Expert and later Head of Project in Sierra Leone. He holds a BA in African Development Studies in Geography and a Master of Public Management. Besides the Operative Management, Daniel is responsible for Strategy & Business Development and Communication & Sales. He also manages relations with funding partners/donors and oversees the Finance- and HR Units.
Production Manager (Jawei)
Brima holds a National Certificate in General Agriculture. With long-standing experience in cocoa production, organic agriculture and community-led development, Brima has been an asset to Lizard Earth since 2018. He oversees the management of the company’s agro-forestry cocoa gardens and HCV-Areas and has been leading Lizard Earth’s community work with respect to land assessments, field mapping and participatory land use planning.
Production Manager (Dea/Luawa)
Sourcing- and Export Manager
Fatmata started her career as a Farmer Support Officer with Lizard Earth in 2020. Able to establish remarkable rapport with our smallholders, she has turned into Lizard Earth’s cocoa sourcing specialist overseeing the work of the company’s nine Center Managers and directing a team of 30 people. She also drives Lizard Earth’s certification and farmer support programs. Fatmata holds a Certificate in Secretarial Studies.
Management Assistant
Farmer Support Officer
Field-level Cashier
Documentation Officer
Center Manager, Dodo
Center Manager, Pewama
Center Manager, Kpendema
Center Manager, Mbenahun
Center Manager, Perri
Center Manager, Bandajuma
Center Manager, Jombohun-Giewoma
Center Manager, Baoma
Meet the Board ...
Managing Director
Daniel Scholler
Founder, Lizard Earth
Independent Director
Carlos Ignacio Velasco Castrillon
Co-Founder/CEO, Cacao de Colombia
Investor Director
Andrew Tarazid-Tarawali
Investment Manager, Small Foundation
Board Observer
Bowofade Elegbede
Associate Director, Investing in West Africa, Acumen
Join the Team ...
We always strive to find solutions: Out-of-the-box, challenging and driven by our mission to innovate the future of cocoa and chocolate! Do you have the same ambition and are passionate about business or agriculture? Then get in touch. We are always looking for smart minds who want to make a real difference.
Meet our Partners ...
We are proud of our network of strategic partners and investors who help us improve our leverage and deliver on our objectives. A huge THANK YOU for their support of the Lizard Earth Project!
Lizard Earth has built an exclusive partnership with the social business and chocolate maker Organic Africa in Barcelona, Spain. While both entities remain legally independent, they are closely integrated: Lizard Earth manages sourcing, production and processing at origin in Sierra Leone, while Organic Africa manufactures and markets chocolate made from Lizard Earth’s cocoa beans across Europe and the US. In 2023, Organic Africa placed Lizard Earth’s cocoa with prize-winning artisanal chocolate makers in Spain and launched the first single-origin chocolate in the organic supermarket chain Veritas.
Acumen joined us on our journey in December 2021 making a long-term financial commitment towards the growth of Lizard Earth. Besides the financial investment, Acumen has been providing Lizard Earth with access to expertise and post-investment support. We are humbled to be part of Acumen’s global movement solving problems of poverty.
Partner with Lizard Earth ...
