Strong Source Episode 26 with Denis Zaica
Jun 27, 2025
Denis Zaica, Chief Trading Officer at FincoEnergies, shares his inspiring journey from cocoa trading to shaping biofuel strategies. He discusses the complexities of navigating the biofuels market amidst geopolitical tensions and rising fossil fuel prices. Denis emphasizes the importance of adaptability in commodity trading, and how ongoing education is vital for success. He highlights the need for trading to balance instinct with data-driven insights while reflecting on personal growth and networking in this challenging industry.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How Denis Was First Hired
- Denis was the standout candidate from a two-day Paris recruitment where 20 candidates were interviewed.
- Martijn hired him as a cocoa trading trainee after that single impressive interview.
Learning Cocoa At Origin
- Denis described early sourcing trips to West Africa to see farmers, warehouses and supply chains firsthand.
- Those trips grounded his trading views and connected office decisions to real-world production realities.
Price Is Only One Part Of Value
- Physical sourcing forces traders to think beyond price: quality, counterpart and execution risk matter.
- Basis/differential analysis and origin-specific factors shape fair value and trading decisions.