Cooperman Company

What Cooperman Company does

Cooperman Company is a privately held, family-founded American manufacturer of handcrafted musical instruments, headquartered in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Founded by Patrick H. Cooperman in 1975 following a part-time drumstick and fife operation that began in the 1950s, the company sells directly to consumers and small businesses worldwide through three branded e-commerce storefronts (Cooperman Frame Drums, Cooperman Drum Shop, Cooperman HistoryLives) and via phone, fax, email, and postal mail. The firm employs between 11 and 50 people at a single facility that combines its sawmill, wood-bending operation, and assembly — all housed at the former Maplecraft Manufacturing Company site acquired by Cooperman in 1987.

The product portfolio centers on tuneable frame drums (tars, bendirs, bodhrans, riqs, pandeiros, kanjiras, dafs, dayerehs, and ghavals), drumsticks and mallets, fifes, traditional rope tension drums, and unfinished banjo rims. Manufacturing relies on steam-bent single-ply hardwood shells (5/16\"-thick cherry and maple sourced from trees felled within 30 miles of the Vermont workshop) and on Cooperman's patented internal tuning technology (US Patent #5517890), which adjusts head tension via an internal moveable bearing without exterior hardware, preserving traditional instrument aesthetics. Premium offerings are developed through the Artist Innovation Series in collaboration with named percussionists including four-time Grammy winner Glen Velez, Jamey Haddad, Marla Leigh, N. Scott Robinson, and Rowan Storm. Drumstick lines and banjo rims carry 60+ year and 90+ year reputations respectively.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time unit sales of handcrafted instruments priced in the mid-hundreds of dollars (e.g., Pandeiro at $275, Daf at $385) plus a small wholesale channel (traditional toys and games for museum gift shops; custom wooden boxes for the gourmet food industry; luthier parts supply). Pricing is publicly posted and payment is processed via standard card networks and PayPal. The company does not subscribe, license, or SaaS-model its products; there is no software layer and no third-party retail distribution of consequence. Artist endorsers serve as marketing validation rather than paying customers. The Liberty Model rope tension drum, the company's historical core, has been transitioned to a manufacturing partnership with Loyal Drums of Virginia, signaling a deliberate concentration of Cooperman's in-house capacity around frame drums and hand percussion.

Name

Cooperman Company

Legal name

Cooperman Fife & Drum Co. Inc.

Website

https://cooperman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cooperman Company is a family-founded, Vermont-based manufacturer of handcrafted musical instruments — primarily tuneable frame drums, drumsticks, fifes, and banjo rims — sold direct-to-consumer worldwide through branded e-commerce stores and built using steam-bent hardwoods and patented internal tuning technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handcrafted Percussion and Wind Musical Instruments

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruments & Sheet Music Retail (CRALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF), Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE)

Keywords

• Handcrafted frame drums
• World percussion instruments
• Rope tension drums
• Wooden banjo rims
• Handmade fifes and drumsticks

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellows Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Musical Instrument Sales: One-time sales of handcrafted musical instruments including frame drums, fifes, drumsticks, and banjo rims sold directly through company e-commerce stores and phone/fax orders.
2. Custom/Wholesale Products: Traditional toys, games, inexpensive musical instruments for museum gift shops; parts supply to other manufacturers; custom wooden boxes for gourmet food industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cooperman Company handcrafts percussion and wind musical instruments in Bellows Falls, Vermont, primarily hand-tuned frame drums (tars, bendirs, bodhrans, riqs, pandeiros, kanjiras, dafs, dayerehs, ghavals and tambourines), fifes, rope tension drums, turned hardwood drumsticks and mallets, and unfinished banjo rims. Products are built around steam-bent native hardwood shells and a patented internal tuning system (Patent #5517890) and are sold direct-to-consumer via branded web stores, phone/fax/email/mail orders, and a wholesale museum-toy channel.

Product overview

Cooperman Company is a traditional American musical instrument manufacturer specializing in handcrafted fifes, rope tension drums, hand drums, drumsticks, and banjo rims. The product portfolio centers on tuneable frame drums inspired by world percussion traditions, including various sub-categories such as Bodhrans, Tars, Bendirs, Riqs, Pandeiros, Kanjiras, Dayerehs, Dafs, Ghavals, and Tambourines. Many products are part of the Artist Innovation Series, designed in collaboration with prominent percussionists including Glen Velez, N. Scott Robinson, Marla Leigh, and others. The company operates from Vermont using traditional woodworking methods passed down through generations, including steam-bending and wood turning techniques. In addition to musical instruments, the company diversifies into traditional toys, games, and custom wooden boxes for unrelated industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cooperman Frame Drums: Online store for frame drums and related items
• Cooperman Drum Shop
• Cooperman HistoryLives

Products and services

• Fifes Handcrafted musical flutes made from instrument-grade woods and FDA-approved plastic, designed for marching corps, folk artists, and woodwind musicians playing early music and modern arrangements.
• Rope Tension Drums (Liberty Model) Traditional military-style field drums with rope tensioning systems, including the Liberty Model now crafted by Loyal Drums of Fredericksburg, VA, with full maintenance, repair, and restoration services offered.
• Hand Drums (Frame Drum Family) Tuneable frame drums inspired by world percussion traditions, made from steam-bent Vermont hardwoods with patented internal tuning technology. Includes Bodhrans, Tars, Bendirs, Riqs, Pandeiros, Kanjiras, Dafs, Dayerehs, Ghavals, and Tambourines.
• Tars Deep-shell tuneable frame drums with steam-bent cherry wood shells, featuring patented internal tuning technology. Available in sizes from 12\" to 22\" diameter.
• Bendirs Tuneable frame drums similar to tars but with snare strings threaded across the back of the head to produce a distinctive buzzing sound. Available in 12\" to 22\" sizes.
• Glen Velez Series Artist Innovation Series drums designed to Glen Velez's specifications, including tuneable tars, bendirs, bodhrans, and Handance drums. Features include patented internal tuning, self-locking head systems, and overtone dampening.
• Bodhrans Traditional Irish frame drums available in standard and Glen Velez Series versions. Larger diameter, deeper shell designs for lap-style playing with rich, resonant tone.
• NSR Goldeneye Series Large diameter lap-style bass-range frame drums designed by N. Scott Robinson, featuring honey-gold finish, 3/8\" single-ply maple shell, and REMO Renaissance heads for deep bass tone with substantial sustain. Available in 18\", 20\", and 22\" diameters.
• AIS Marla Leigh Drums Artist Innovation Series drums including 12\" Purple Haze, 14\" Green Goddess, and 16\" Marla Tar models, designed for Marla Leigh's playing styles and Academy teaching methods. Features include rolled rims, cherry wood frames, and distinctive graphics.
• Kanjira South Indian Carnatic tambourine developed with Ganesh Kumar, featuring steam-bent hardwood shell, REMO cloth/mylar head, and coin jingles. Sized at 7 7/8\" diameter for evolved role in jazz, fusion, and world music.
• Yousif Sheronick AIS Riq Newly designed (2022) riq with carved scallop arches for extended finger reach, approximately 9\" diameter with local Vermont cherry wood, wood tuning ring, and 9 pairs of hand-hammered brass and bronze jingles.
• Pandeiro Brazilian-style hand drum played with finger pads and hand heel, featuring 10\" diameter turned shell, patented internal tuning, and 6 sets of dampened jingles. Available with cloth/mylar, Renaissance, or Black Suede heads at $275.00 list.
• AIS Todd Roach Hybrid Tambourine Fusion tambourine combining pandeiro, tamburello, kanjira, and riq jingle elements with adjustable jingle pins, 12\" maple shell with Sapele wood inlay, and patented internal tuning technology.
• 99 Slapback Hybrid tar drum developed with Matt Kilmer, combining frame drum punch with caxixi-like shaker sounds. Available in 12\" and 16\" versions with mesh backs and tunable REMO Weatherking heads.
• Dayereh Persian-inspired frame drums designed with Houman Pourmehdi and Rowan Storm. Features include single row of jingles, sharp bearing edges, and warm tones. Available in multiple sizes.
• Daf Persian/Kurdish sacred frame drum with spiritual Sufi roots, featuring 21\" diameter, four interlocked brass rings, and REMO Renaissance head. Used in world music and contemporary jazz. Priced at $385.00 list.
• Ghaval Frame drum inspired by Middle Eastern and Central Asian styles, available in Classic and Glen Velez Handance versions. Features brass rings with pellet bells and warm REMO Renaissance heads.
• AIS Hadjira Cooperman's earliest hybrid tambourine (early 1990s) combining kanjira, riq, and pandeiro elements. Features configurable jingle pins allowing kanjira-like or pandeiro-style playing.
• Large Diameter F-Drum Unusually large 28\" diameter resonant bass drum for meditative drumming, chanting, and professional percussion exploration. Made from Vermont cherry with lacquer finish and REMO Renaissance head.
• Pitch Dark Series Tars Dramatic appearance and tone-heavy sound series featuring cherry wood shells with ebony and cherry decorative inlay, mounted with REMO Black Suede heads for haunting sonority.
• David K. Series Tar Drums Bass tar drums designed by David Kuckhermann for teaching and performance, featuring larger diameters (20\" and 22\"), 4\" deep ash wood shells, and thumbholes for upright or lap playing.
• Inanna Tambourine Collaboration with Inanna Sisters in Rhythm featuring three grip cutouts, copper and nickel jingles, tuneable design, and choice of suede or renaissance heads. Available in deep red and teal frames.
• Artist Innovation Series Frame drum series designed with endorsing artists including Jamey Haddad, Glen Velez, Ganesh Kumar, Houman Pourmehdi, N. Scott Robinson, Marla Leigh, Andrea Piccioni, Rowan Storm, Todd Roach, Judy Piazza, and Matt Kilmer.
• Drumsticks and Mallets Turned hardwood drumsticks and mallets crafted in Vermont, hand-finished, rolled, and precision matched for weight and pitch, serving demanding percussionists worldwide for over 60 years.
• Banjo Rims Hand-crafted banjo rims made from native Vermont hardwoods (Maple and Cherry) using traditional steam-bending methods, representing 90+ years of expertise dating back to the first rims bent in January 1926.
• Traditional Toys and Games (Cooperman HistoryLives) Traditional toys, games, and inexpensive musical instruments for museum gift shop trade, sold wholesale through Cooperman HistoryLives.
• Wooden Boxes (Custom) Custom wooden boxes for the gourmet food industry, leveraging the company's steam-bending woodworking capabilities.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Loyal DrumsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThe Cooperman Liberty Model Drum is now crafted by Loyal Drums of Fredericksburg, Virginia. This represents a transition of the rope tension drum manufacturing to a partner company while Cooperman focuses on frame drums and hand percussion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CoopermanVt
• Xx.com/coopermandrum
• Facebookfacebook.com/cooperman.drum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooperman Company