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Coop Coffees Welcomes New Board
Cooperative Coffees is thrilled to welcome a new Board of Directors as we enter in to 2009. We have quite the year ahead of us with a 10 year anniversary to celebrate and a challenging economy to confront. Perfect timing for the qualified and enthusiastic team to lead the way!
During our December 2008 Board of Director’s meeting, the 2009 Executive Committee was elected, naming...
- Mike Mays of Heine Brothers Coffee in Louisville, KY as Chairman;
- Lee Wallace of Peace Coffee in Minneapolis, MN as Vice-Chair;
- Mike Moon of Just Coffee in Madison, WI as Secretary;
- Tio Pistilli of Bongo Java in Nashville, TN as Treasurer.
This year promises to be a “landmark moment” for CoopCoffees – both in terms of its challenges and its rewards. It’s no secret that this year’s bête noire will be the dragging economy. But like other bumps we’ve encountered in our 10-year journey, the current economic situation is something Coop Coffees is prepared to deal with…especially with such a qualified and enthusiastic team to lead the way! Chairman Mike Mays enters with great confidence that the coop’s careful fiscal management and responsible membership will see us through these hard times. “The fact that we’ve paid close attention to the finances of the coop over the last 10 years and that each member has done his/her part to hold up their end of the responsibility puts us in a very good position to face the current economy,“ he says.
In 2009, CoopCoffees also begins its “Year of Celebration” as we enter into our 10 year of dedicated business and fruitful partnerships in the wonderful world of Fair Trade! While the mission of Coop Coffees persists from year to year, the bundle of external variables at play all around us creates an ever-changing context. Of course we expect to confront that with creativity…and our particular CoopCoffees pizzazz!
(Photo: CC roasters enjoy a visit to CEPICAFE's marmalade plant)
This year, we prioritize the enhancement of strong internal systems for internal and external communication and for product traceability that staff and committees have worked to establish over the last year. We are also exploring new areas – such as development projects in producer countries, diversified membership category and strengthening our network of Fair Trade allies – to help us grow in a healthy and strategic manner and to bring greater benefit to our members and producer partners.
As businesses and companies around the world shrink their operations due to the economic context of the times, Coop Coffees has a different agenda. Our unique organizational structure as a cooperative and Fair Trade’s “alternative” model of business offers a special way of approaching obstacles like these. “We are all small businesses,” Mike explains. “We’re in business for a lot of reasons, only one of which is to make money.” The solidarity that comes from working within a coop and in partnership with farmers all over the world (who are also part of small coops) gives Coop Coffees a distinct advantage. “We’re in this for the long haul,” Mike affirms. “If it were only about the bottom-line, we wouldn’t be in Coop Coffees to begin with. But we’ve made a commitment to the coop because we take very seriously our commitment to Fair Trade in general. We know we’re doing important work and we won’t be bailing out any time soon despite what is happening in the economy.” Commitment and creativity – the two words that have brought us this far, that will carry us into the New Year and that will bring us many more years to come!
For more on their responsibilities...
