YLAI Professional Fellows Program, Class of 2016

Germán Santillan Ugarte is the CEO and Founder of Oaxacanita Chocolate, a company which strives for the economic development of the Oaxacan Mixteca by hiring artisan cooks and palm craftsmen and by using local raw materials. Thanks to this project, Germán jumpstarted the cultivation of cacao to provide jobs to regional farmers and reactivate the Oaxacan field. In 2014, Germán completed his Business Science degree at the Tecnological University of the Mixteca, and in 2015 won the performance award of national academic excellence presented by EGEL CENEVAL. Germán is also the Finance Director of Sanfri Refrigeración Comercial, a company that provides industrial equipment to the food industry. He is the External Communications Manager for the Iluminarte Espacio Creativo art gallery, which is a non-profit organization that helps local visual artists of the Mixteca to maximize their potential.