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Mike Ferguson, President
While not the most important fact to know about Mike Ferguson, some may find it noteworthy that he desperately dislikes writing about himself in third person, and refuses to do so unless those for whom he is writing insist on it. In the absence of such insistence…
I was born and raised in California where I lived most of my life. I now live near Atlanta, Georgia with my wife, Jennifer, and my two youngest daughters. In 1998 I received my Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California and then went to work for the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) as marketing communications director. I immediately fell in love with coffee, the coffee industry and its people. When I left SCAA in 2007 I was serving as the association’s chief of staff and a spokesperson for the specialty coffee industry.
In 2007 I started Fresh Ground Consulting and began working as a senior consultant with Coffee Solutions, Inc., working with coffee related companies on content, marketing, positioning and strategy. In December 2009 I joined Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters as the business development director.
Mike Ebert, Vice President
Mike has worked in specialty coffee his whole adult life and then some. He currently works for Alterra Coffee, bringing the Alterran way to Chicago. His experience includes plant management, purchasing, sourcing green coffee, cupping coffee, blend development, product development, inventory control, sales and marketing, upper management and strategic planning.
He also helped in the formation of the Roasters Guild, a part of the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s family, serving as their first chair of the Executive Council for two years. From there he served eight years for SCAA on the board of directors, finishing as the president in 2010.
Mike loves fine wine and food, great music, conversation with good friends, and enjoying all of those things together.
Ric Rhinehart, Treasurer
Ric Rhinehart is currently serving as the executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Prior to taking on this position, he was the president of a Los Angeles-based roaster and retailer. Mr. Rhinehart has, over the past 20 years, held executive positions in several coffee and tea firms.
Mr. Rhinehart has designed, developed and produced a wide range of both tea and coffee products and is co-author of Tea Basics, a primer on premium tea, published by John Wiley & Sons in 1998. Mr. Rhinehart is a frequent presenter and panelist on industry issues and trends at trade shows and symposiums. He has served as a director and vice president for the Specialty Coffee Association of America and as a board member for Coffee Kids and the Coffee Quality Institute. He was also a founding member of the American Premium Tea Institute, where he served on the board of directors and as president.
Rob Stephen, Secretary
Stephen is the CEO of Coffee Solutions, a Boston-based training, consulting and quality assurance company that services the global coffee market. Prior to founding Coffee Solutions, he was the leader of the green coffee department for Dunkin’ Donuts, where he oversaw one of the largest coffee supply chains in the world, and helped move the company toward Fair Trade and other sustainable coffee sources. He served as the president of the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Board of Directors in 2006-2007. Mr. Stephen represents the United States at the Coffee subcommittee for the International Standards Organization and is a past chairman of the board for the World Barista Championship, Ltd.
David Abedon, Co-Founder
Abedon is a professor and cooperative extension appointee in the Department of Natural Resource Science at the University of Rhode Island. He also directs the University’s Minor in International Development (MIND) program. In conjunction with the MIND Program, Abedon has brought over 200 students to Costa Rica to visit coffee-producing regions. His research has also led him to study in the rainforests of Brazil; work with wild goats and develop conservation plans in Crete, Greece; and research mammal biodiversity in the coffee lands of Costa Rica. Abedon serves on various environmental boards and commissions.
Guy Burdett
Burdett is President and CEO of InterAmerican Coffee, Inc. He is based at the company’s North American headquarters in Houston, Texas. Burdett joined InterAmerican in 1988 after earning a degree in finance from Texas Tech University. From 1994-1996, he served on the of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Board of Directors and headed the Technical Standards Committee and served on the Membership Committee. Under Burdett’s leadership, InterAmerican Coffee, Inc., was among the first companies to contribute to Coffee Kids and Grounds for Health, and became a Founding Partner of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). InterAmerican supports numerous social service organizations in the USA and Canada. In addition to spending time with his two children, Burdett enjoys running and playing golf.
Rick Peyser
Peyser is director of social advocacy and coffee community outreach for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Waterbury, Vt., where he has worked for over 19 years. He is a past president of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the largest coffee trade association in the world. Peyser is also a member of the board of directors of Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) headquartered in Germany, which sets the international standards for Fair Trade that benefit over 1,000,000 small-scale farmers around the world.