Annelien Rigolle is Research Manager Cocoa & Chocolate processing at Puratos, driving innovation with a focus on enhancing taste, sustainability and health & well-being in line with the strategy. She holds a degree in Bioscience Engineering from KU Leuven and earned her PhD at KU Leuven KULAK, where she specialized in ultrasonic monitoring of cocoa butter crystallization.

Annelien began her career at Puratos immediately after completing her doctoral studies, taking on the role of Research Manager Cocoa in the upstream research division. Over the past nine years, she has led research into cocoa powder functionality across the full range of Puratos products. More recently, her work has evolved to encompass broader aspects of cocoa and chocolate processing, aligning scientific exploration with strategic innovation goals.