United States
Ed Canty, General Manager, joined the Cooperative Coffees’ team in October 2015. His coffee career began two decades ago in a Portland, Maine coffee shop where he learned the craft of roasting and the pleasure of customer service. This led him to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ cupping lab in Waterbury, Vermont. His interest in coffee quality and growing communities started a 15 year career as Green Mountain’s Fair Trade and Organic coffee buyer. He values transparency, principled negotiations, intelligent system design, and innovative and regenerative agricultural practices that improve quality and producer livelihood through trade. Ed serves on Food 4 Farmers board of directors. He lives in the hills of Vermont with his partner Christe and children Asher and Emma.
Nancy Fuentes, Outbound Logistics Coordinator, was born and raised, until the age of 12, in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In May of 2011, Nancy graduated from South Georgia Technical College with an Associates degree in Accounting. She joined the Cooperative Coffees’ Americus team in February 2015 after working at Café Campesino for six years. She learned many aspects of the coffee industry from the roasting process to cupping. Nancy was excited to join the Coop Coffees team and continue her work, which ultimately impacts farmers from around the world. When Nancy is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children.
Becky Johnston, Inbound Logistics Coordinator, joined the Cooperative Coffees’ Americus team in August 2015. Born and raised in Americus, she has always admired the story behind Coop Coffees. So, after 12 years in the automotive industry, here she is; handling our inbound coffee processing and fair trade as well as organic certification. In addition to drinking coffee, her interests include camping, cooking, kayaking, and yard games with her family and friends.
After 15 years on the roasting side of coffee, Mike Moon joined Cooperative Coffees to work on the importing side as Sales Manager. Mike got into coffee as an activist for Fair Trade. After visiting coffee growers in Chiapas Mexico in 2001 he and a friend started Just Coffee Cooperative which is now a thriving and successful roaster member of Cooperative Coffees. While at Just Coffee, Mike spent many years on the Coop Coffees Board of Directors where he was deeply involved in the coops growth and development. As a former member of the Cooperative he is excited to be working with members to grow sales and explore how the cooperative can serve members in new and innovative ways.
Abby Trantham, Finance Director, joined the Cooperative Coffees’ Americus office in May 2004. While obtaining her bachelors degree in Accounting, she worked part time at the Coop alongside founder Bill Harris performing a multitude of tasks. After graduating with honors from Georgia Southwestern State University in 2006 with her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, she was excited to accept a full-time position at the Coop. To this day, she remains devoted to Coop Coffees and her work. She takes great pleasure in knowing that her work positively impacts two things that she holds dear to her heart; farmers and families. Abby loves knowing that her work helps to improve the lives of farmers and their families around the world. When not at Coop Coffees, Abby enjoys spending time with her family and friends whether that is a fun day on the boat or enjoying the country life at her family’s farm.
Melissa Wilson Becerril, Impact Manager, was a consultant for Cooperative Coffees for two years as a Sales Ambassador before joining the team in 2022. She worked for Fair Trade USA for ten years, leading multi-stakeholder impact projects and coordinating cost of production research as Senior Manager of Coffee Supply. She has also taught the unit on certifications and smallholder farmer economics at the University of California Davis. Joining Cooperative Coffees as Impact Manager represents a culmination of her commitment to economic and environmental sustainability through trade, and the strong relationships she has built with producer coops.
Canada
Matt Damron came to Coop Coffees in March of 2017. As Quality Manager, he oversees the day-to-day aspects of coffee quality, collaborating with members to monitor current trends and create innovative quality solutions across the supply chain. While studying music and film at North Carolina State University in 2001, Matt took his first job in the coffee industry as a barista. Over the following 16 years, he would move into almost every aspect of the coffee business, from cafes to roasters to exporters to importers – working directly with producers in Colombia, Nicaragua and El Salvador. He still finds joy in a well-brewed cup of coffee and simple conversation. When allowed outside the lab, Matt can be found taking in live music, playing guitar, biking around Montreal, or hanging out with his two loving but dopey dogs.
Felipe Gurdián Piza started with Cooperative Coffees as a lowly intern in 2010. Through the years, he has worn many hats in the organization. Today he serves as Sourcing Manager, overseeing the beans’ ebb and flow and managing Cooperative Coffees’ relationships and purchases from Latin America. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and History from McGill University and is a certified Q-grader. In his spare time Felipe enjoys punk-rock, cold cuts and cheese and his bike, weather permitting.
Deborah Shea, Communications Director, joined Cooperative Coffees’ Montreal office in April 2012. Prior to her immersion in coffee, she worked for more than 20 years in the Canadian book industry. First in retail, then as a partner/owner of Hornblower Books, she was a key player in this national book publishers’ representation group. Deborah oversees Coop Coffees’ communications and is also responsible for administration and accounting for the Canadian office. She is excited to be a part of the organic fair trade world, and to be drinking great coffee! She enjoys yoga, books and hanging out with her family.
