Tricoastal roasters and retailers (Lake Michigan counts, alright?) Intelligentsia Coffee announced this morning that much-storied Co-CEO Rob Buono will be stepping down from his position, at the end of a three-year tenure that saw tremendous growth for the independent company. In his footsteps will follow James McLaughlin, who’s served variously for Intelligentsia as Green Coffee Director and legal counsel, and who himself has a history in coffee farming.
From an Intelligentsia press release provided to Sprudge:
During Mr. Buono’s tenure the company’s profit increased 61 percent, it entered the New York City retail market, and a national wholesale and distribution strategy was developed and implemented. Mr. Buono will remain available until year’s end to facilitate the transition. Doug Zell will continue in his role as Co-Founder and become Chairman. Emily Mange, also a company Co-Founder, will continue in her retail operations role. Mr. Buono will return to real estate development and managing his organic vegetable farm.
We can only wish for Mr. Buono that his organic vegetable farm yields as rich an increase as his tenure with our friends and partners at Intelligentsia. Much more information about Mr. McLaughlin’s career in law, coffee farming, and even prosciutto-making is available via LinkedIn.
