People
Nate Blum
Chief Executive Officer,
Sorghum United
Mr. Blum is a native Nebraskan with roots on a fourth-generation family farm operation consisting of row crops. His passion for public service and agriculture has led him to careers working for farmers as staff at the US House of Representatives and as the former Executive Director of the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board and Nebraska Sorghum Producers Association. “I firmly believe in the value of sorghum and millets to human and animal health. Importantly, our changing global climate requires a renewed emphasis on water-smart and drought-resistant grains. Consumer and producer education regarding the value of sorghum and millets, which meet the challenges of climate-smart agriculture, is vital to the future of our species on this planet.”
Email: sorghumunited@gmail.com
Website: www.sorghumunited.com
Monia Caramma
Monia Caramma is Chief Sustainable Food Officer and Sustainable Food Researcher. She has been studying ancient grains with and without gluten since 2000 and she met sorghum in 2015 when she started the first milling trials. In 2017 Monia Caramma formulated the technique of gelatinization and processing of this cereal, obtaining a 100% sorghum dry pasta with excellent cooking hold without the use of additives, emulsifiers, binders. She is member of the Steering Committee of Sorghum ID and Vice President of Sorghum United. Columnist, author, she is involved in the popularization of issues related to food, its processing, and its effects on people’s well-being. She is former at official international and national Congress for doctors, dieticians and nutritionists, health, and wellness professionals. Monia Caramma formulates healthy and sustainable foods. She was included in the Forbes 2021 ranking of the 100 most influential women in Italy. In 2021 her book has been released: Ancient and Modern Cereals, why knowing the variety of flour you eat can save your life. In 2023 her second book has been released; “La Verità vi prego sul cibo; manuale di sopravvivenza alimentare”. Her articles have been published in Journal of Food and Nutritional Ddisorders, Tecniche molitorie, altra medicina, Professional Pasta, among others.
Dr. Bamdeo Tripathi
Regional Director for Asia, the Pacific and the MENA Region
Dr. Bamdeo Tripathi comes from a family of farmers and ancient Ayurveda practitioners in Varanasi, Dr. Tripathi brings a unique blend of traditional knowledge and modern expertise to his mission.
A veteran with 35 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, Dr. Tripathi retired as Regional President of the Middle East and North Africa region at ONGC Videsh Limited. His extensive career involved navigating complex commercial and legal challenges across 11 countries, holding multiple board-level positions in regional subsidiaries and joint ventures. He has also been part of gevernment delegations, interacting with energy ministers on intricate issues and leading their resolution.
Since his retirement, Dr. Tripathi has dedicated himself to advancing his family’s agricultural ventures, becoming a fervent proponent of millets. He champions their potential to address climate change risks, water scarcity, poverty, and food and nutrient deficiencies, particularly in the global south. Through Sorghum United, Dr. Tripathi aims to build a collaborative platform for stakeholders in the millet farm-to-fork value chain, fostering innovation and growth in sustainable agriculture.
Anne Kamau
Regional Director of Africa
Anne Kamau is the Fractional Regional Director, Africa and spearheads Sorghum United operations. She is a highly experienced and talented professional in project management, marketing, operations, corporate relations, and enterprise development. With over 7 years of experience as a Project Manager at Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw) gGmbH Kenya, Anne has successfully planned, coordinated, and implemented various projects in the water and vocational training industries. Anne also has vast experience in enterprise development and has run several businesses. She is known for her expertise in partner liaison, operational management, financial planning, and effective communication.
Krystle Philips
Regional Director of The Caribbean, Latin America, and South America
Krystle Philips, founder of Your Equipment Supplier(YES), hails from the vibrant islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. With a deep-seated passion for agricultural development, Krystle has devoted herself to enhancing food security and promoting sustainable farming practices.
at YES, Krystle leads a team committed to supplying cutting-edge equipment solutions to farmers and individual creating value-added products worldwide. From irrigation systems to processing machinery, YES strives to equip clients with the tools necessary to thrive in today’s dynamic agricultural sector.
What sets YES apart is its unwavering dedication to personalized service. Recognizing the pivotal role farmers and value-added product creators play in shaping agricultural practices, Krystle and her team go above and beyond to ensure that each client receives the attention and support they deserve.
Krystle is excited to join the Sorghum United team as the Fractional Regional Director for the Caribbean.
Shreema Mehta
Communications Director – Sorgho Squad
Shreema Mehta is a communications consultant with Sorghum United. She is the founder of
Climate Cookery, whose mission is to create modern, delicious foods from the traditional,
climate-smart crops overlooked by the industrial food system –like sorghum! She has over a
decade of experience designing and executing media and marketing strategies for
environmental organizations and clean energy companies. She holds a master’s degree in
environmental policy from the University of Maryland, where she studied market solutions for
sustainable resource management.
Jangaiah Anika
Founder
Kuku Millets
Entrepreneur, visionary dreamer for good food for good health, Agritech and Tech savvy. Setup, scaled and managed businesses with cross-functional responsibilities that have been holistically entrepreneurial, with ‘hands-on’ experience across diverse markets in the Globally. Designed and developing Innovative things for SaaS, agri clusters. that included optimising supply chains of traditional commodities and consumer goods, as well as deploying disruptive digital solutions to create and capture value. Experienced product leader with a cross-functional experience across Technology, Product, Business & People, Create innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Website: www.kukumillets.com
Nicholas Musisi
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Nutri-Worth
Nicholas is a Ugandan with more than 6 years experience working with millets and sorghum. He began his work with millets in 2015 using it in the management and prevention of malnutrition among children and women in Eastern Uganda; later moving into research on millets and sorghum products that can be used as a nutritious food option during the 1000 days window of opportunity. As founder and team lead Nutri-Worth; Nicholas continues to advocate for healthy food systems and believes millets are a game. changer in the campaign against food insecurity.
Website: www.nutriworth.org
Franco Borgogno
Galuy Foods
Franco Borgogno is a Self-taught plant-based food designer, based in Argentina who explores food through a holistic approach according to its material, healing and emotional properties. He is the founder of Galuy Foods, An Argentinean start-up that produces plant-based food mainly made from “Sorghum” following a regenerative agriculture and production system where all the crops produced are gluten free. The star product is the “Sorghum” patties which consumers are choosing as a new old alternative for Burgers since it’s an ancient grain and people in Africa, India and Asia have been having it for millennia. His work as researcher has led him to know the core of different cultures and lived in places such as New Zealand, Israel, Thailand, Singapore, Costa Rica, and the U.S.A. He’s currently collaborating on various projects that seek to have a positive impact on the food industry.
Joanna Kane-Potaka
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Choosing FOOD3050
I have worked in development and food and agriculture for most of my career living in India, Sri Lanka, Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. The previous 9 years I lived in India and heard about millets and sorghum for the first time and quickly became converted.
I believe we need to drive demand for smarter foods and especially focus on more nutritious and diverse staples – this is how we can have big impact on the health of people and the planet. Underlying this is supporting the smaller entrepreneurs and farmers to be profitable and key players in the economy.
As the founder and previous Executive Director of Smart Food, I have focused on mainstreaming millets. This includes working with a team to create reality TV for a cause. Along with a global team we undertook the largest studies on the nutrition and health benefits of millets including on diabetes, anaemia, growth/malnutrition, hyperlipidemia and calcium retention and deficiencies. We undertook the first-ever scientific studies on millets in school feeding programs which were undertaken in Tanzania and India. We conducted several market analyses for the demand potential for millets, including the largest consumer study on millets with 15,500 face-to-face interviews across 7 cities in India. We also published the first coffee table book on millets, The Millet Movement in India, selling in Amazon.
I started my career as an agricultural economist and later moved into market research in agribusiness and other related areas.
In January 2022, I returned to my home country Australia and am starting new initiatives to further build the millet value chains. See more at:
Website: www.letsmillet.org
MOHAMED ZELLAMA
Co-Founder ORI Sorgho
Consumer of sorghum since my childhood in my native Tunisia, I am an architect. I have fifteen years of experience in the management of architecture / real estate / industry projects within major industrial clients in Tunisia & France & Europe (PSA RETAIL / REXAM HEALTHCARE / ORANGINA / AIRBUS / NOVARES AUTOMOTIVE / CNRS PUBLIC RESEARCH / PUREVER CLEANROOMS / MERCK HEATHCARE ) .
In 2019, I discovered sorghum in France, the project emerged in a few days. I attributed the year 2020 to the study and competence of this adventure, the decision is made after reflection, organization of roles and consumer tests: ORI was born in 2021.
Entrepreneur in human food, activity based on knowledge and an ancient human practice reinvented and re-enchanted for a new culinary experience.
ORI is the New Specialist in Dietary and Sustainable Solutions (Whole Cereals, No Preservatives, No Dyes, No Flavors, No Additives, No Processed Foods, No Sweeteners), Vegan and Naturally Gluten-Free!
ORI is a company with a mission committed to its territory to support economic players in agriculture and industry to innovate, create sustainable value and build efficient, scalable, agile and low-tech production facilities and tools.
Our ORI SORGHUM universe is dedicated to the creation of intelligent food solutions based on SORGHUM, this ancient grain oriented towards the future!
With a multidisciplinary team, we act for sustainable agriculture, a responsible industry and tasty food.
Our Mission: Participate in the awakening of your senses and make you travel through cultures.
Martin Gomez
International promotion manager
FNPSMS
Graduated of the Agricultural School of Angers (FRANCE), after a first experience as product manager, I specialized into European seed sector and international cooperation for agricultural projects. As international promotion manager for the French Federation of the National Production of Maize and Sorghum Seeds (FNPSMS) and Sorghum ID, I dedicate my efforts to promote a sustainable way to produce food. I believe agriculture should be based on the cultivation of the most relevant varieties for each climate and challenges by well-trained professionals. That is why we are committed to build a strong European Sorghum sector within the association Sorghum ID by cooperating with institutions, seeds professionals, researchers, farmers, and industrial users.
Website: www.maizeurop.com