We founded our company in 1993 under the name Giri Corporation. The word “Giri” comes from a samurai code of honor and means social obligation. As a certified B Corp we operate for the benefit of all those who come into contact with our company. We source, roast, and brew coffee to create value for all stakeholders along the Farm to Cup chain.
SERVING STAKEHOLDERS
While a typical business operates only with the obligation to create value for its immediate shareholders, the driving purpose of Stone Creek Coffee is to create value for ALL of its stakeholders including its Community, Customers, Employees, and Environment. We have committed to working as force for good and to partnering with those who share our corporate values. In line with this mission, we became a Benefit Corporation in 2020 and were fully-certified as a B Corp with B Labs in early 2022.
COMPANY COMMITMENTS
Stone Creek Coffee Owners
FOUNDING OWNERS
Eric Resch founded Stone Creek Coffee in 1993. He was the sole owner of the company for over twenty years until Melissa Perez joined the ownership team and assumed majority ownership in 2016. Eric and Melissa are constant partners in business, life, and family. They have three beautiful children, and are proud to call Milwaukee their home.
Eric Resch
Managing Director and Founder
Melissa Perez
Co-Owner
EMPLOYEE OWNERS
Eric & Melissa have offered up a portion of the future value of Stone Creek Coffee to employees who have invested heavily in the company’s success over many years. Over time this group of employees will expand as other remarkable people are added as owners.
Drew Pond
Director of Development
Bryan Kraft
Director of Production
Harmony Krafttakacs
Director of products & implementation
Annaliese Frailey
Director of Kitchen
Amy Balestrieri
Director of Customer Care
Garrett McGowan
Director of Finance
Karen Strange
Director of Retail
Our Coffee Geeks
Angeline Garvey
Design Director
Tom Ems
Sales Manager
Rachel Perik
Employee Development Specialist
Val Newhouse
Director of Marketing Communications
Hailey Barsch
Director of Bakery
Jes Rutherford
Director of Roasting
Mathew Mahnke
Accounting Staff
ANNA OELERICH
Accounting Assistant
Juliana Dutcher
Graphic Designer
Patrick Colbourn
Retail Operations Manager
Jeff Balistreri
Wholesale account Manager
Eva Hagen
Director of Employee Care
Keegan Kasten
Customer Care Coordinator
Happy Musonda
Master Coach
Celeste Mitschke
Employee Care Specialist
Core Commitments
KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS
Every good commitment has a due
date, a clearly defined deliverable,
and one person responsible. A good
commitment maker will not
over-commit and will deliver as
committed or will notify their team
well in advance if unable to so.
THINK HARD
We must do the thinking necessary
to improve our work and our
environments. “Better” comes
through the invention of new
concepts based on wise interpretation
of facts. The pursuit of “remarkable”
requires us to work hard, and to think
harder. Our thinking is always better
when we do it together.
CLEAN THE CORNERS
Literally, we clean the corners.
Details matter. The same attention
to detail and care we bring to our
coffee is reflected in all of our work.
When we are great in the details,
the big picture will be something
extraordinary.
CREATE REMARKABLE CARE
Every day when we come to work at Stone Creek Coffee, our goal should be to create unexpected human connections together, with our partners, and with our guests. We call the creation of those connections the creation of “Remarkable Care.”
TAKE CARE OF
YOUR CO-WORKERS
All of us need help at times. Our
company is best when we go
out of our way to take care of each
other and ensure a productive, safe,
and healthy work environment.
BE HERE, PHYSICALLY
AND MENTALLY
Customers, fellow employees, and
the company at large rely on each
individual who works here to come
to work on time and prepared
mentally and physically to execute.
When you’re on, you’re all in. If we
fail here, our team will be soft and
incapable of accomplishing its goals.
PREPARE FOR
YOUR WORK
We work with care and
thoughtfulness to put ourselves
in the best situation to bring
success. As much as possible, we
anticipate barriers to success and
work to tear them down.
SPEAK UP
Every individual brings a unique
perspective to the table. We rely
on those perspectives to keep our
company as sharp as it needs to
be. If employees are unwilling to
speak up about problems they see in
a constructive manner or be bold
about ideas they have, then we will
be unable to get better and grow.
SPEAK TO THE FUTURE,
NOT TO THE PAST
We drop the ball on occasion.
Everyone messes up. Everyone
fails. The important thing in these
situations is the response. When
we fail, we will speak to what will
be done differently in the future.
We will not merely recap and make
excuses for what happened. We
will not make a mistake twice.
BE A HERO,
FIND A HERO
We don’t want to be merely “OK” or
“better than the next company.” We
want to be extraordinary, and we
want to celebrate people doing
extraordinary things. We go the extra
mile, even when nobody is watching,
and we take time to recognize when
we see the hero in others.
TAKE RISKS
Nothing truly amazing has ever
been done without some degree
of risk. With risk-taking comes
learning. We will constantly try
new things in an effort to get better;
if those don’t work, then we’ll try
something else.
BE URGENT TO
THE CUSTOMER
Without the customer there is no
company, no coffee, and no work.
Therefore, we will drop whatever we
are doing to ensure the customer
experiences remarkable care and
comes back tomorrow.
NEVER STOP
LEARNING
If you’re not growing, then you’re
dying. If we stop learning, then
we will stagnate while the rest
of the coffee world passes us by.
Learning is very important for the
development of each person in our
company, and the collective learning
is what will bring great value and
the development of remarkable care.
