Mr. Cala was born in Colombia, in 1947. He graduated from Universidad America in Colombia with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in Industrial Production from Universidad de Los Andes.
Other studies include:
Financial Management, INCAE (Honduras), Trade in Agro Industrial Goods, Port Alegre (Brazil), English Language, London (England), Logical Framework, Inter-American Development Bank (Costa Rica), Guthrie Palm Oil Mill Executive Course (Malaysia).
Currently, he resides in San José, Costa Rica, acting as the chairman and general manager of Cala y Blanco S.A. a company in the business of mixing and homogenization of Oils and Fats for the animal feeding industry. The industrial plant is located in San Miguel de Matina, Limón.
Publications
Books Published
N. Wambeck translated by G. Cala Gaitán and G. Bernal G. : Sypnosis of the Palm Oil Process. 2005. FEDEPALMA.
G. Cala Gaitán and G. Bernal G. : Modern Processes in Palm Oil Mills. 2008. FEDEPALMA.
Journal Articles
G. Cala Gaitán. Handbook of Palm Oil Mills, 1973.
G. Cala Gaitán. Energy Application for the Empty Bunches, 1995.
G. Cala Gaitán. The Strategic Partnership in the Palm Development, 1998.
G. Cala Gaitán. Agricultural and Industrial Process of Palm Oil, 2000.
G. Cala Gaitán. Industrialization and Prospects for the Palm Oil, 2001.
Experience
Mr. Cala has over 30 years experience as an industrial consultant for the agricultural process of Palm Oil, including: Extraction, Refining and Oleo chemicals. He has also served for 20 years as an International Consultant for the (IDB) Inter-American Development Bank.
Most recently, Mr. Cala also conducted a feasibility study for NEDOIL (Lion heart Foundation in The Netherlands) of 40,000 hectares of Palm Oil production in Sierra Leone, Africa. The feasibility study included an extraction mill of 90 ton/hour, and electricity generation facility for a 60 km grid and the installation of a port facility for the exportation of Crude Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil and the import of fertilizers. The project considers the direct employment of 7,000 people.
He served as the Chief Executive Director for the Cámara Nacional de Palma Aceitera (CANAPALMA) in Costa Rica from 1988-2000. This organization gathers approximately 1000 farmers. Mr. Cala has also led 7 conferences and seminars in Honduras, Brazil, Costa Rica and Colombia in Palm Oil, its processes and industrialization.
Mr. Cala has also participated in many international conferences and lectures.
As a consultant he has worked for many companies throughout Latin America and Europe; including ACCIONA BIOCOMBUSTIBLES, S.A., INDUSPALMA (Dominican Republic), PALCASA (Ecuador), Consultécnica (Colombia), FEDEPALMA (Colombia), HSBC (Costa Rica), AQUAPLASTICA (Dominican Republic, INASCA (Dominican Republic), INDUSPALMA (Dominican Republic), COMME IL FAUT- CODINA (Haiti), among many others such as many others.
