Meet Our Team

Our team is dedicated to social change through chocolate and coffee. We do this by ethically sourcing coffee and cacao, offering training programs on our Cameroon farm, and planting a tree for every product sold.

Cameroon Team

Edwin Ngong

Even before Edwin was officially on staff with Moka, he served as a valuable resource to our project by offering guidance, honest feedback, and demonstrating unbiased leadership qualities. Edwin was born in Meluf Village in NW Cameroon and is one of 8 siblings. After graduating with a degree in Life Sciences, Edwin directed his focus towards sustainable agriculture as a means of community upliftment. Edwin helps Moka deploy agriculture partnerships in some of Cameroon's most vulnerable communities.

Edwin Ngong

Cameroon Country Director

Nyuytari Evolette

We are so excited to introduce Evolette as the newest member of the Moka Origins team in Cameroon. Evolette serves as our Tree Nursery Manager. Her passion for agriculture and positive energy go towards supporting our Moka Tree Coop where we distribute seedlings and provide technical support to hundreds of regional famers. She is also in charge of handling our inventory, community food gardens and helps keep a pulse on staff scheduling.

Nyuytari Evolette

Cameroon Tree Nursery Manager

Blaise Fonyuy

Blaise joined Moka at the onset of our farm launch in 2015. Energized by the idea of innovation reaching his village and the opportunity that may lay ahead, Blaise and his late Father Fabian were the first members to officially join the Moka Origins full time farm team in Cameroon. Blaise never completed school and was continuously searching for some sort of occupational training. With an eagerness to create an identity for himself in the workplace, Blaise found his match as our first agricultural technician and has since become the assistant manager of Moka Origins Farm.

Blaise Fonyuy

Cameroon Agricultural Technician

Vanilla Sendze Tomla

Hardworking and patient, Vanilla loves to work as a part of a team and collaborate with others. She has a degree in business management and worked for several financial institutions before landing on accounting for Moka Farm Cameroon. Vanilla is dedicated to the growth of Moka Farm and wants to see that it expands to help even more farmers earn a living through cacao and other fruits.

Vanilla Sendze Tomla

Cameroon Administrator

USA Team

Jeff Abella

Jeff is driven by his unwavering passions: exceptional coffee, ethical chocolate, transformative travel, and empowered communities.

His journey started in 2007 when he co-founded health and education initiatives in Cameroon, Africa, igniting a relentless dedication to sustainable humanitarian projects. Fueled by social entrepreneurship, Jeff's pursuit led him to launch endeavors across West Africa, North India, and Central Mexico.

In 2015, Jeff co-founded a cacao and coffee outreach project in Cameroon, which later evolved into establishing Moka Origins, a distinguished craft chocolate and coffee roasting enterprise rooted in Pennsylvania. Jeff now holds roles as the Managing Director of the Himalayan Institute Cameroon and the CEO of Moka Origins, both marked by a profound emphasis on fostering reciprocity and catalyzing social impact at the source. Additionally, he contributes his expertise as a board member of the FedEx Entrepreneur Advisory Board and fulfills the role of Communication Chairperson for the Fine Chocolate Industry Association.

Jeff's enthusiasm for engaging with diverse audiences knows no bounds. He passionately shares insights on social entrepreneurship, small business strategies, and the potential of business to enact positive change worldwide. Recent keynote addresses have resonated with audiences at prestigious institutions such as Facebook, YALE, United Against Human Trafficking, Camp IHC, Malvern Prep, Penn State University, and Howard University.

To book a talk with Jeff, reach out to him via email at jeff@mokaorigins.com, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Jeff Abella

CEO and Co-Founder

Ishan Tigunait

For over a decade, Ishan has led a range of agricultural and emerging market social ventures. He jumped into the world of international development in 2005, when he began working in the emerging field of energy farming. Ishan has a led numerous international development and humanitarian projects across the world, including in Mexico, India, and the Tibetan refugee communities. He is Chairman and a founding director of Himalayan Institute Cameroon, a leading humanitarian NGO in northwest Cameroon, and serves as CEO of Himalayan Institute International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.

Ishan Tigunait

Co-Founder

Chelsea Abella

Chelsea has been leading international group travel for 15 years, while also working on numerous humanitarian initiatives in Cameroon, Mexico and India. Chelsea graduated from UW Madison with a degree in Interior Design and has a passion for design, aesthetic and branding, which she has applied to our Moka brand since 2015.

Chelsea finds great joy in curating group travel experiences, spending time her two kids and creating culinary experiences.

Chelsea Abella

Retail & Travel Designer

Beth Dawson

Beth loves taking something simple and making it shine. She's active in her local community, nurturing friendships and making farm-to-table foods for weddings, retreat centers, and local CSAs. She loves how sustainable agriculture can be intertwined with luxury eating.

Beth joined Moka Origins full time in early 2020 and saw immediate similarities with her passion for sustainable farming and premium food. Taking simple ingredients and making them beautiful is what she does best. She now works full time crafting chocolate and discovering the subtle flavors of single-origin coffee. Above all else, Beth makes everyone in the room feel comfortable and welcomed, and channels those good vibes right into the bars!

Beth Dawson

Head Chocolatier & Production Associate

Dana Wolfenberg

Retail Associate & Administration

Grace Olver

Retail Associate

Mark Larson

Mark has been involved in Humanitarian work ever since traveling to Cameroon in 2010 as part of the Himalayan Institute's Eco-Service Excursions. He first started helping Co-Founder Jeff Abella with The Himalayan Institute's health and public library initiatives while growing his knowledge of the farm and humanitarian sides of Moka. Following his sweet tooth and a passion for uplifting communities, Mark joined Moka Origins in a full time capacity and is now managing the administration and operations.

Mark Larson

Operations Manager

Joe Kennedy

Joe graduated with a degree in business management and found his way to warehouse operations and production roles. He recently obtained a master's degree in illustration and has a passion for art, coffee, and chocolate. Joe draws all of the artwork that you find inside and outside of our packaging! Joe greatly enjoys the team environment and being apart of a team that finds purpose behind their work, along with the creativity involved in growing a small company. He now expresses his artistry by pouring bean-to-bar chocolate and leads chocolate production at Moka Origins.

Joe Kennedy

Production Manager

Prashant Dault

Prashant is a social entrepreneur at heart and learned more by starting his own businesses than through being in school. His passion lies in photography and graphic design as he creates beautiful works of art and applies it to marketing pieces and brand development. He joined Moka Origins in early 2020 as our Marketing Manager and is driven by social impact and creating better lives for farmers in other parts of the world. Most of all, his playful outlook on life shows through in everything he does, from his previous colorful bamboo sock company, unique artistic perspectives, and his relentless smile and untamed hair. You'll see his work by scrolling through the Moka Origins website and watching for our newest sales emails.

Prashant Dault

Marketing Manager

Bart Thol

When not sipping on brewed beverages, you can find Bart hiking or kayaking in nature. Bart studied entrepreneurship in college, originally pursued a career in adventure travel, and spent some time in the coffee industry making him an ideal fit for the team. He’s happy to be part of a startup “that’s dedicated to a worthy cause”. Bart processes and ships nearly every order, from bars to pallets and everything in between.

Bart Thol

Fulfillment Manager

Ashley Smith

Chocolatier

Josh Diaz

Head Roaster

Steven Odnoha

Steven has been a part of the Himalayan Institute and Moka team since 2010. He is involved with all things technical, from teaching electrical training courses to lab setup and solar power installations. Steven received his professional education from Central Texas College and the U.S. Army. He also worked for the semiconductor giant Intel for over 10 years as a maintenance technician, where he learned to apply attention to detail in all facets of his work.

Steven Odnoha

Technical Engineer

AJ McCloskey

Production Associate

Interns

Mariana Dubeux

Hi everyone! My name is Mariana Dubeux and I’m a second-year undergrad at the Pennsylvania State University studying marketing!

A little about my background is that I interned at Arla Foods last summer, working on sales resources transformations as well as geotargetting campaigns to potential customers. On campus I am a Career Services Workshop Intern where I help give professional development workshops to different groups on campus. I am also a part of a professional business fraternity on campus - Phi Chi Theta.

I love a good read, being outside, and am currently training for the Philly Half Marathon. I am extremely excited to be a part of the Moka Origins team this year as a marketing intern and learn and grow from a socially and environmentally conscious company that happens to make the most amazing chocolate and coffee I’ve ever had!

Mariana Dubeux

Marketing Intern

Arda Wuyts

Arda is a second year student studying Film Production at the Pennsylvania State University. He has experience in both film sets and real-time video environments as well as all stages of video production. After being impacted by Moka’s trip to Costa Rica in the summer of 2023, and following his belief in ethical production and cultural exploration, Arda joined the Moka team as a video production and editing intern.

Arda Wuyts

Marketing Intern

Emmah Faris-Howes

My name is Emmah Faris-Howes, and I am a Moroccan-American student from the Boston Area. I am an aspiring law professional, but have experience working in various fields. I have consistently engaged in numerous activities within my studies and apart, such as community service, work, and extracurriculars revolving sports and the arts. I have experience growing up in an untraditional household environment, and have always been surrounded and immersed in culture. I am passionate in ensuring that my work within Moka is nothing short of this! I am beyond excited to embark on this new adventure with the Moka Origins team!

Emmah Faris-Howes

Marketing Intern

Anna Morrongiello

Anna is currently attending the State University of New York at Geneseo, majoring in Economics and minoring in Sustainability. At an early age she traveled with her family to learn about cacao and has worked on a family-run organic vegetable farm for most of her childhood. Anna, her sister, and some friends dedicated many volunteer hours, forming a nonprofit organization to help with food insecurity in her local community. Her proficiency in Spanish and her passion for Sustainability and Economics led her to this opportunity with Moka Origins to aid in cultivating a strong partnership with their peers in Mexico and to serve alongside as their Moka Mexico Communications Liaison.

Anna Morrongiello

Marketing Intern

Maya Hopson

My name is Maya Hopson, and I am a sophomore at Penn State with an intended major in Marketing and a minor in Leadership in Sustainability. Before starting my journey at Penn State, I took a gap semester in Australia. There, I learned a multitude of leadership skills, engaged in deep emotional intelligence, and grew to understand more sustainable/ethical practices, all of which I intend to bring with me into this company.

Maya Hopson

Marketing Intern

Maxx Wolfenberg

Maxx is a student at Honesdale High School. Having worked at Moka Origins for the past 4 years, Maxx has developed a deep love for coffee and chocolate. Initially focused on production, he has now taken on the role of a barista and handles media-related tasks. Maxx thoroughly enjoys collaborating with the team here at Moka Origins and is incredibly passionate about the company's mission.

Maxx Wolfenberg

Marketing & Retail Intern