Our Family Profiles

For the Canepa family, Mill Valley is not just where they operate their business; it's where all four Canepas, Jim, Bob, and Jim's sons, Doug and David, live. It's where Frank Canepa raised his family, where Jim and Bob raised theirs, and where Jim's sons, Doug and David, are raising theirs. In short, Mill Valley is their hometown.

Although JIM CANEPA, Frank's oldest son, is no longer an owner, he is still very much a part of the store's daily operations. The gourmet foods and specialty foods buyer, Jim brings more than forty years of experience and a lifelong interest in wines and fine foods to the Market. In addition to the many courses he's taken at the University of California at Davis in viticulture, wine making and bee-keeping, he has attended the French Wine Institute in Bordeaux, France, the German Wine Academy, wine expos in Italy, and has taken wine country tours in Australia and New Zealand. Jim and his wife Jean have also studied at Lorenza de Medici's Cooking School at Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany, Italy. The founder of the local chapter of Mill Valley Friends of Wine, Jim directs the Mill Valley Wine and Gourmet Food Tasting for the Chamber of Commerce.

Jim also produces his own gourmet foods. His Canepa Cellars Alexander Valley Chardonnay (created with the highly regarded winemaker Helen Turley), Cascade Canyon Honey and the organic vegetables which he grows on his Sonoma farm are all in great demand.

Long active in the community, Jim has often seen "President" before his name. He served as president of the Lion's Club, the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Pop Warner Football Board of Directors. In 1982, Jim was recognized as "Mill Valley Citizen of the Year." Jim and Jean have two sons, Doug and David, now co-owners of the Market, and one daughter, Cris. Cris, who used to work there, now sells desserts to the store. The importance of the family as operators of the store, not merely owners, is, according to Jim, one major reason for the store's success. "The Market is viable because one of us is always here."

BOB CANEPA is President and oversees grocery, frozen foods, dairy, natural foods and beer (his collection of antique German beer steins numbers more than 100). He graduated from the University of San Francisco before serving in the U.S. Marine Corp as an artillery officer. He has traveled widely, living and studying in Italy. Active in industry associations, Bob served eight years on the board of the Bay Area Grocers Association, eight years as a board member of the Northern California Grocers Association and is currently on the Certified Grocers Upscale Retail Buying Committee.

Bob has a continuing interest in education (he has a secondary teaching credential from Dominican College), and served four years on the Board of the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation (now Kiddo), where he created the "Helping Hands Campaign," which has so far raised approximately $750,000 for Mill Valley public schools. He also began the Support Our Schools campaign, through which the Market has contributed almost $200,000 to local schools. A past member of the Tam High PTSA, Bob received the 1993 "Business Leadership" award from the Tamalpais Union High School District, and various other awards for his commitment to helping our schools.

A long-time member and past president of the Rotary Club, Bob has served on The Redwoods Board (he received the Redwoods 1998 "Volunteer of the Year" award), the Mill Valley Parking Committee and the Library Building Committee, and was once a Cubmaster. In 1991 Bob was named "Mill Valley Citizen of the Year." He is currently serving on Mill Valley's Centennial Committee.

Bob and his wife Reggie have two sons, both products of our local schools. Matt is a recent graduate of Pepperdine University and is now working at Citibank, and Brian is a student at Bates College. Bob's philosophy: "My father always told me: 'Treat the customer with respect and you'll always have customers.'"

DOUG CANEPA manages the Wine and Deli Departments. Doug, who says that he was raised in his father's footsteps, has a strong interest in wines. In addition to taking numerous wine courses, he studied at the German Wine Institute and attended many wine events in Italy. In 1996 he created the popular Mill Valley Market Wine of the Month Club.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, Doug is active in business and community groups. Long active in youth sports, he has served on the board of Little League Baseball and Pop Warner Football and has coached both Little League Baseball and soccer.

Doug and his wife Lisa have three children, Eugene, Wesley and Patrick, all Mill Valley public school students. According to Doug, he has the best job in the world. He can walk to work, go home for lunch and get to see his wife and kids, "I still love what I'm doing!"

DAVID CANEPA oversees the Produce and Liquor Departments. He graduated with a degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo. A member and past president of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, he has a strong interest in youth sports, and has coached Little League baseball, soccer and CYO basketball.

David has two children, Nicole and Ryan, who recently joined their cousins, Eugene and Wesley, as the fourth generation of Canepas to work in the Market. According to David, "The customer is always first. Everything else is second."