BLYSS Background
I, Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl, grew up beside the South-Pacific trade winds, where my grandfather and father grew agricultural products and sold machinery services in Papua New Guinea. Two truths became lodestars: farmers are paid last, and flavour follows healthy soil. Years later, in 2009, I left a corporate career to found BLYSS Chocolate. We planted agro-ecological cacao across Ecuador, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, paid growers 35 % above the local rate, and crafted a bar that independent judges scored 93/100. Within three seasons it was pouring at the tasting tables of the world’s most discerning spirits collectors—proof that uncompromising ethics can command premium markets.
Success on the palate asked a bigger question: what if the same rigour steered serious capital? Since 2014 I’ve channelled that field-honed discipline into advisory work—drafting the roadmap that moved €4 billion into climate-tech ventures, mapping 6 000 social-economy actors to shape EU policy, and helping Pacific treasuries update budget rules that now safeguard half a million citizens. Today I split my calendar between smallholder plots and boardrooms on six continents, guiding family offices, corporate foundations, and multilaterals through decisions where empathy and audit-grade evidence must coexist.
BLYSS Team
The BLYSS studio is not a line-up of lifetime consultants; it’s a circle of specialists who still “do the work.”
Most of us have been together since the first cacao harvest in 2009, keeping one foot in our own disciplines—running climate labs, steering supply chains, coding impact dashboards—so our guidance stays fresh and fully implementable. Our small hub our of Berlin coordinates quality, while a bench of economists, MEL architects, climate scientists and policy veterans contributes real-time insight from Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East.
When you call, we build a fit-for-purpose squad – perhaps a small team for a €50 million mission fund, or a full task-force for a €1 billion blended-finance vehicle. You get only the expertise you need, for exactly as long as you need it—board-room discipline paired with field-level relevance, delivered by people actively shaping the very systems they advise on.
Our approach blends evidence before ego, rapid learning loops, and a clear sense that capital is a story -> when stakeholders feel the narrative, resources shift faster and stay aligned longer. That approach lifted online sales 20 % for a global consumer-goods group while embedding Scope 3 metrics, helped a mid-cap manufacturer cut plastic waste 80 %, and doubled average deal size at an Asian development agency through smarter governance. Whether you need forensic diligence on a hydrogen start-up, a charter that tames bias, or a dashboard that turns scattered data into board-ready insight, BLYSS offers the rare combination of field credibility and board-room rigour.
If that sounds like the partner you’re looking for, let’s start the conversation.
Let's be in touch
