BATON ROUGE – Community Coffee Company, the nation’s largest family-owned and operated retail coffee brand, has announced the appointment of Caesar Pereira as Chief Financial Officer, effective February 23.
Pereira succeeds Annette Vaccaro, who previously announced her plans to retire. To support a smooth leadership transition, Vaccaro will work closely with Pereira over the coming months to ensure continuity across financial operations, strategic initiatives, and key business partnerships.
Pereira brings more than 26 years of global finance leadership experience across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has extensive expertise in financial strategy, governance, operational transformation, and value creation, with a strong track record of partnering with executive teams to drive profitable growth.
“Caesar brings exceptional financial leadership experience and a deep understanding of complex, global consumer businesses,” said Tom Corley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Coffee Company. “His strategic perspective, operational discipline, and collaborative leadership style will help support our long-term growth while honoring the strong financial foundation Annette helped build.”
Most recently, Pereira served as Vice President of Finance & Accounting for Nestlé’s U.S. Coffee & Beverage division, where he played a key role in financial strategy and business planning for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio that includes brands such as Starbucks, Nescafé, and Coffee Mate. Previously, Pereira served as Vice President and CFO for Nestlé Purina Petcare across Asia, Oceania, and Africa, overseeing financial and strategic leadership for a multi-country business. Throughout his career at Nestlé, Pereira also held several senior global and regional leadership roles, including Group Operations Controller in Switzerland.
“Community Coffee Company has built a remarkable legacy rooted in quality, community, and strong values,” said Pereira. “I am honored to join the team and look forward to partnering with leadership and employees across the organization to help support the company’s continued growth and long-term success.”
Pereira holds a Master of Accountancy from the University of Idaho and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Frederick Institute of Technology in Cyprus.
Founded in 1919 by Henry Norman “Cap” Saurage, Community Coffee began as an experiment in coffee blending inside Saurage’s grocery store in Baton Rouge. From those early days, the company has remained family-owned and operated, staying in the Saurage family for five generations — a rarity for a business of its age. That continuity has become central to the company’s identity and mission.
Over more than a century, Community Coffee has grown from a local Baton Rouge operation into what is widely recognized as the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in the United States. Its products are sold in retail stores across much of the southeastern U.S., as well as through online channels and partnerships with offices, restaurants and other businesses. The company also maintains direct relationships with coffee growers internationally and has been involved in sustainability and farm-support initiatives.