Barry Knepper
About Barry Knepper
Independent director at Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (JVA) since 2005; age 75 as of October 29, 2025. Former multi-time CFO with deep finance and accounting experience; designated by JVA’s board as an “audit committee financial expert.” Currently President & CEO of Royalty Recovery Group, Inc. (since July 2004) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unitel Video, Inc. | Chief Financial Officer | 1982–1999 | Public-company CFO; broad financial oversight experience |
| Offline Entertainment | Chief Financial Officer | Jan 2000–Mar 2001 | Early-stage media CFO; finance and controls |
| TruFoods Corporation | Chief Financial Officer | Apr 2001–Jun 2004 | Franchise management; operational finance |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty Recovery Group, Inc. | President & CEO | Jul 2004–present | Management consulting/audit services firm |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined Knepper is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Audit Committee: Member and Chair; designated audit committee financial expert (SEC definition). Audit Committee met 4 times in FY2024 and acted by written consent twice .
- Compensation Committee: Member; committee met once in FY2024 and acted by written consent once .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance: Not a member .
- Board meetings/attendance: Board held 1 meeting in FY2024 . Directors attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings in FY2023; all directors serving in FY2024 attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Leadership structure: CEO also serves as Chair; no Lead Independent Director (monitoring via committees) .
| Committee | Knepper’s Role | FY2024 Meetings |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Chair; Member; Financial Expert | 4 meetings; 2 written consents |
| Compensation | Member | 1 meeting; 1 written consent |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Not a member | 1 meeting; 1 written consent |
Fixed Compensation
Director pay is meeting-based; no retainers disclosed.
| Metric (USD) | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Board/committee fee policy | $800 in-person; $400 telephonic per meeting | $800 in-person; $400 telephonic per meeting |
| Cash paid to Knepper | $3,200 | $3,600 |
| Stock or option grants (annual) | $0 | $0 |
| Total director compensation (Knepper) | $3,200 | $3,600 |
Performance Compensation
No performance-based director compensation disclosed; equity plan no longer permits new grants after Feb 2023.
| Element | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grant to directors | None disclosed | None disclosed; 2013 Plan prohibits grants after Feb-2023 |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | None disclosed | None disclosed |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed in JVA proxy |
| Prior public company boards | None disclosed specific to directorships; past role as public-company CFO (Unitel) |
| Interlocks/conflicts | None disclosed relating to Knepper. Related-party items disclosed do not involve Knepper (e.g., Generations Coffee/Caruso’s) . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Audit committee financial expert (SEC definition) .
- Decades of CFO experience across public and private companies; broad accounting, audit, and internal controls expertise .
- Long-tenured JVA director (since 2005), reinforcing institutional knowledge and audit oversight continuity .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 36,010 shares (includes 22,010 shares and options for 14,000 shares) as of Oct 17, 2025 |
| Options | 14,000 options, all currently exercisable |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | Not a 5% holder; percent column not quantified (marked “*”) |
| Pledged shares | None disclosed |
| Ownership guidelines (directors) | Not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
-
Positives
- Independent director; Audit Chair and SEC-defined financial expert—strong alignment with robust financial reporting oversight .
- Active committee engagement (Audit met 4x in FY2024), with Audit Chair signing the Audit Committee Report, indicating substantive involvement .
- Personal equity stake (36,010 including 14,000 currently exercisable options), supporting some alignment with shareholders .
- All directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting; historical attendance at or above 75% threshold in FY2023 .
-
Watch items / Red flags
- Board leadership: CEO is also Chair; no Lead Independent Director—heightens reliance on committee chairs (including Knepper) for independent oversight .
- Limited full Board meeting cadence (1 in FY2024); heavy oversight falls to committees—raises importance of rigorous Audit Committee processes .
- Company has history of internal control weaknesses (FY2021) and auditor changes; underscores need for continued vigilance by Audit Chair (Knepper) .
- Executive change-in-control tax gross-up (Section 280G/4999 “Tax Indemnity Payment”)—shareholder-unfriendly practice that the Compensation Committee (where Knepper serves) should reevaluate .
- No disclosed director stock ownership guidelines; director pay is modest and meeting-based with no fresh equity grants, possibly limiting long-term ownership alignment .
-
Related party/Conflicts
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Knepper. Notable related-party activity (Generations Coffee/Caruso’s) does not involve him .