John Sacharok got his start as a Wawa Dairy plant worker in the 70's and worked his way up to being recognized as one of Wawa's top executives.  John was responsible for developing the coffee brand and launching it into all Wawa convenient stores for its thirsty consumers!  John knows what it takes to find, market and sell quality coffee!  He also knows the global impact coffee consumption has had on the rest of the world.  In 1986, John took a risk and left Wawa to dedicate the rest of his life looking for responsible opportunities and focusing on the Womb to Tomb Principles by becoming President and CEO of Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters!

John learned a very important lesson early in life playing baseball.  He was a great fielder, catcher and pitcher; however, he struggled with hitting the ball.  Every time he went up to bat he would swing as hard as he could hoping that one time he would actually hit the ball out of the ballpark.  One day his coach said "stop trying to hit it so hard John and focus on the ball".  Who would have known those few words would not only change how many times he hit the ball; but also his whole approach to work, family and life in general.  "If you are going to swing that hard you might as well hit the ball.  All you have to do is focus on the pitch. There will always be people and things that will try to distract you from hitting the ball or meeting a goal.  In addition, if you wait for the perfect pitch, you will not only miss your target, you might send it in a direction you never intended for it to go.  Always focus on your goal—the ball itself- and make contact!"  Wow…100% Rhino John!

He admits to having lots of "ah-ha" moments throughout his life that has brought him to where he is today—creating a life that matters and leaving a legacy for future generations.  Was he successful as one of Wawa's executives? Absolutely! At the end of his tenure was he feeling fulfilled?  Absolutely not!  He did what most Rhino's would do. He took a leap of faith, applied what he learned from his experiences, leveraged networks, and focused on the goal.  In fact, his business model has come to be known as "The Five Golden Valley Farms Taste of Success Factors":

• Factor One: The Need- Focusing on Sustainability, Supremo Customer Satisfaction and Pure Bean Profit
• Factor Two: Womb to Tomb Commitment—Nurturing of the whole bean and the villages who dedicate their life to harvesting it
• Factor Three: Ecological Intelligence—Increasing ecological intelligence surrounding customer consumption of fair trade, ecologically responsible coffee; Educating customers and business leaders how to model the way both ethically and ecologically for future generations
• Factor Four: Eco-industrial Friendly—Using environmentally friendly roasting equipment, and processes to produce an extremely small carbon footprint
• Factor Five: High Touch Not High Tech—Remain focused on the people by fostering an environment of trust and accountability.

The Art of Cupping is to coffee drinkers as wine tasting is to wine enthusiasts.   It is an experience worth trying to appreciate coffee in one of its rawest forms.  It also allows you to enjoy slurping coffee…yes, slurping! You can even schedule a cupping experience for your next event.

In closing, John is a dedicated family member with four children, four grandchildren, and a loving wife with a long history of "Give. Love. Serve."  His only sibling, Maryann Baldassarre, is now the President of Golden Valley Farms.  In addition, John believes that everyone who works for him becomes a part of his family, and is treated as such.  Here's to keeping coffee in the family and keeping quality, organic, environmentally friendly coffee in the hands of responsible drinkers!  Happy slurping Rhinos!  Stop by John's Golden Valley Farms Roasting facility at 208 Carter Drive, 13B, West Chester.  Don't miss out on free coffee giveaways Monday to Friday!

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