Pete Berres
2014
Pete Berres has been named the Johnson Creek Education Foundation’s 2014 Distinguished Alumnus. Pete attended elementary school in Watertown and entered Johnson Creek High School as a freshman and graduated in 1984. A gifted athlete, he played football, basketball and baseball all four years, and was selected Captain of the Football and Basketball teams his senior year. Following high school, Pete attended the University of Wisconsin- LaCrosse where he majored in Business Management and graduated in 1988. While at LaCrosse, Pete served in the Army ROTC program and received his commission as a second lieutenant.
Over the next twenty-five years, Pete advanced both his business and military careers achieving notable success in both. Beginning in 1989, Pete started working for Coffee Host, an office coffeevending service owned by his father, Marv Berres. When his father died unexpectedly in 1990, Pete and his brother Jeff, began researching the possibility of roasting their own brand of coffee. The following year, the brothers purchased a coffee roaster and packaging equipment and began Berres Brothers Coffee. Pete purchased the business from his brother Jeff in 2000 and is the sole owner and president of the company. In 2005 Berres Brothers moved into a brand new roasting facility on Airpark Drive in Watertown.
From their beginning in 1991 to the present, Berres Brothers has established themselves as an upper Midwest regional coffee roaster. Their coffee is marketed in grocery stores, convenience stores, on the internet and for fundraising projects and may also be purchased through mail order catalog sales and at the Berres Brothers Coffee Factory store in Watertown.
While building his coffee business, Pete was serving with the United States Army Reserve as an Armor Officer where he completed 22 years of commissioned service. He served with the 84th Training Division from 1989 until 2004 where he was assigned to numerous positions including Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Company Commander, Battalion Staff Officer and Division Staff Officer as the Public Affairs Officer for the 84th Training Division. In 2004 Pete was transferred to the 104th Division where he served as an instructor for ROTC at UW- Whitewater and Maranantha Bible College.
In July of 2008 Pete was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed to Iraq from October 208 to July 2009. While in Iraq he served as a Military Advisor/Officer in charge of establishing the first Iraqi M1A1 Tank Training Program. In his nine months of deployment, over 200 Iraqi soldiers completed the Tank Training Course.
Throughout his military career, Pete received numerous decorations and ribbons: Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Ribbon, NATO International Security Force Ribbon, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Iraqi Campaign Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award and the Bronze Star.
Pete is a member of the Watertown Chamber of Commerce, Watertown Elks Club and the American Legion. He also supports and coaches many community youth sports programs.
Pete and his wife Julie live in rural Watertown with their ten year old twin sons, Levi and Parker. Julie is a teacher in the Watertown Unified School District.