Photo courtesy Descamex
Honoring Carl Leonard
Gathered to honor Community Coffee's Carl Leonard are, from left, Demetrio Arandia, Descamex’s director; Gabriel Bobadilla, Catoex´s director; Daniel Robles, Descamex´s export vice-president; Adrian Marenco, Sanroke Group´s director; Lynn and Carl Leonard, Domingo Muguira, Sanroke´s CEO and main owner; Alicia Muguira, Alicia Muguira & Mauricio Muguira (Domingo´s wife, daughter & son)
Carl Leonard, the green coffee and tea buyer at Community Coffee, the largest family-owned and operated coffee brand in the United States, is the recipient of the Sanroke Award for fair and honest professional behavior.
CORDOBA, Mexico
In January Sanroke Group director Adrian Marenco hosted Leonard and his wife Lynn at the company's offices in Mexico. The Sanroke group, founded in 1925, is Mexico's coffee industry leader since 1974. The vertically integrated company operates coffee plantations, wet and dry coffee processing plants in the main coffee areas in Mexico, a factory for decaffeinated coffee and coffee roasting facilities.
In presenting the award, Marenco told Carl's wife, "Lynn you should be as proud of Carl as we are."
Marenco explained that Sanroke's chairman of the board, Domingo Muguira, decided to establish recognition for those people whose "commercial behavior has been outstanding for the well-being of the coffee industry and that had helped us grow and be better. That they had been fair, honest, and long-term partners," he said.
Early in his sales career Marenco recalled traveling across the US visiting roasters.
"We realized that most roasters were family owned, as our company is, the medium ones had their own territory, and they were leaders in their core region," he said.
"Some of the importers and roasters left us a remarkable impression and a learning experience. We built a commercial partnership that made them and us win, and we got a name and place in the coffee industry," he said.
During that trip "I came to realize that “a man's word” is the name of the game in the coffee business, beyond papers what counts is the word of the business players," he said. "I learned that while we spend months growing coffee, roasters must meet the needs of consumers all year long. Quality and delivery time are critical. They want to be sure you meet those goals so that they can meet their client's needs," he said.
Men like Carl Leonard continue a tradition of business leaders that dates to the founding of Community Coffee in 1919, he said. "These we kindly remember include Norman Saurage of Community Coffee; John Bederka of Lonray Coffee; John “Jack” Sutherland of Continental Coffee; Roy Davis of S&D Coffee and Tea; Peter Hofferber of J. Aron; and Sam Heron of Superior Coffee, just to name a few. We wished they were here personally, but all have passed away, so we honor their names," he said.