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The Fabulous 413 on 88.5 NEPM.
The Fabulous 413

A parade a-brewing

By Monte Belmonte,
Kaliis Smith
Published June 28, 2023 at 2:25 PM EDT
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(from left) NEPM Reporter Elizabeth Roman, Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Shirley Rodriguez, Monte Belmonte, and Kaliis Smith
1 of 4  — Puerto Rican Parade launch party
(from left) NEPM Reporter Elizabeth Roman, Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Shirley Rodriguez, Monte Belmonte, and Kaliis Smith
Tony Dunne / New England Public Media
(from left) Beth Sprong, newly minted CEO, and Dean Cycon, newly minted retiree, both of Dean's Beans with the hosts of The Fabulous 413
2 of 4  — Dean and Beth.jpg
(from left) Beth Sprong, newly minted CEO, and Dean Cycon, newly minted retiree, both of Dean's Beans with the hosts of The Fabulous 413
Tony Dunne / New England Public Media
The Springfield Puerto Rican Parade makes its way down Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 18, 2022.
3 of 4  — PR Parade 2.jpg
The Springfield Puerto Rican Parade makes its way down Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 18, 2022.
Elizabeth Román / NEPM
Worker-owners of Dean's Beans C
4 of 4  — Dean's Beans Organic Coffee at GRF.png
Worker-owners of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee at their coffee truck during the Green River Festival
courtesy of Dean's Beans

Community comes in all shapes and sizes and that's what we love best about it.

It comes in the form of a long standing pillar of the coffee community turning his company over to his employees. Dean Cycon of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee announced his retirement a while ago, but his official last day was June 26th. And with that last day, the company became a worker-owned co-operative. We speak with Dean and the company's new CEO Beth Spong about making that shift happen and the legacy of societal change they've been able to enact in the coffee industry stateside and with their international partners. And pirates. Arrr.

And it comes in the form of a long loved cultural celebration returning to the streets. The NEPM's own Elizabeth Román into the studio to share their experiences and talk about the future of the parade.

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Monte Belmonte
Christopher “Monte'' Belmonte is host and executive producer of NEPM's The Fabulous 413. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and has been a radio host in western Massachusetts for the last 20 years — the last 17 of them as host of Mornings with Monte on The River 93.9/WRSI.
See stories by Monte Belmonte
Kaliis Smith
Kaliis Smith is a radio host and producer for NEPM's The Fabulous 413. She was most recently host and producer at The River 93.9/WRSI where she appeared on Mornings with Monte for the Nerdwatch segment and hosted weekday evenings.
See stories by Kaliis Smith