Claudio Ferri has been with DDW for twelve years, and currently holds the position of Sales Manager for Latin America. Claudio’s story is a colorful one. Born in Brazil, Claudio had three sisters but was the only son of Italian parents. Growing up in Brazil not only helps Claudio in his career at DDW (the company has a plant in Manaus) but also gave him a love for one of his favorite foods: Brazilian-style BBQ.

Claudio moved to the United States February 8th, 1978, landing in the city of Owensboro, KY. He started a family of his own and now has six kids and six grandchildren. Eventually, he relocated to Brownsville, TX, where he currently works from home and travels the world as a Sales Manager. He previously worked as Sales Manager for Spain and Portugal and currently is DDW’s Latin America Sales Manager. Work is something that is very meaningful to him, and Claudio says: “I enjoy my work and my friends from DDW.”

Community Involvement: Claudio participated in Liberty Memorial Middle School’s Career Day in Brownsville, TX, where he shared information about his career as a Sales Manager for Latin America and working for DDW. In addition, he shared some of the science behind our caramel, including working with raw materials, and demonstrated to the students how caramels will mix or separate when added to specific liquids. Afterwards, the school’s teachers sent him a message thanking him for sharing his knowledge and expanding the students’ career awareness.

Hobbies: Some of Claudio’s favorite pastimes include working on his house, performing repair projects, adding new lamps, installing cabinets and more.

Random Fact: Claudio is a soccer (football) player and a self-described “fanatic for all sports.” In fact, he played soccer (football) at a professional level to help pay for his college education. Eventually, Claudio played for both Sao Paulo FC as well as Santos FC. Legend has it that he even played against and with the great Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), a famous former Brazilian footballer who is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time!