FOUNDER & LEAD CONSULTANT

Elisa is the Founder and Lead Consultant of Expressing Origin, a consultancy whose mission is to trigger sustainability solutions throughout the value chain, from seed to cup. She focuses on the digitalization of the coffee value chain and other industries, supporting stakeholders to identify the right solutions for their business and local context, and tech providers in adapting to the agricultural sector’s needs. Elisa is also the Founder and CEO of Digital Coffee Future, a company where any actor in the coffee industry, from producers all the way up to roasters, can come together, exchange digital experiences, and learn about coffee digitalization. Elisa has field experience in Ghana and Colombia, where she first deepened her understanding of the application of digital solutions for the sustainable development sector. During her field work, in addition to digitalization, she focused on community training of agricultural and food-processing best practices, as well as on gender equity. She holds a Master in Coffee Economics and Science from the University of Trieste, an MSc in Food Policy from the City University of London and a BSc in Food and Agriculture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. She speaks Italian, English, and Spanish.

CONSULTING PARTNER

Nora holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training, where she focused her studies on gender in development and food systems. For her master’s thesis, she analyzed interventions intending to recognize the unpaid work of women in supply chains–coffee and sesame in particular. After graduating, she founded The Chain Collaborative (TCC) to focus on small community-led development projects with local leaders in coffee communities around the world. Nora has also designed TCC’s Consulting, Education, and Special Projects programs, which has led to a variety of collaborations and consulting opportunities throughout the agricultural industry. She has experience in a number of value chains, including bananas, cattle, cocoa, ecotourism, flowers, forestry, honey, nuts, and sugar. Most recently, her work has focused on strategy development for international trade organizations, decarbonization research and roadmapping for supply chains, and digital transformation in smallholder agriculture. She brings an intersectional approach to all of her work, and has field experience in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Kenya, and Uganda. She speaks English and Spanish fluently.