History of Peet's Coffee | Timeline of Our Coffee Revolution | Peet's Coffee

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OUR COFFEE REVOLUTION

We didn’t start it all. Just most of it. If you love insanely good coffee, you’re in the right place.

Why Peet's?

We take coffee seriously because we know you take coffee seriously.

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Sourcing with Impact

How and where we source our coffees matters well beyond the cup.

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Coffee 101

All you ever wanted to know about the good stuff (and probably more, tbh).

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We’re Obsessively Focused on Coffee

No shade on coffee-free glitter milkshakes and robot baristas, but that’s not us. We prefer to stick to high-quality coffee, prepared by hand. Boring on paper. Lively in your cup.

We Go to Crazy, Absurd Even, Lengths for Coffee

Beans roasted by hand. Roasters trained for 10,000 hours (1,280 workdays). Meticulously crafted cups of coffee. We don’t need to be good at everything, just great at one thing.

We Are Serious About Doing Right by the Planet…

Our social responsibility is not limited to a few certification labels or special farms. We care deeply about our entire farm footprint. We partner with Enveritas to execute over 20,000 sustainability audits per year on our coffee supply chain alone.

…And Its People

From the farmers and growers we partner with to our team of experts, creatives, and general coffee fanatics, we’d do anything for our people. We encourage their growth and learning. We care deeply about their well-being. In fact, the only thing we care about more than coffee is the people behind it.

We Don’t Take Ourselves Too Seriously

We’re experts, but not snobs. Making and drinking coffee should be fun and joyful. Sure, we might discern notes of toast and stone fruit, but it’s not a requirement. Unless you’re into that kind of thing, too.

PEET’S THEN, NOW, FOREVER

1930s

Alfred Peet learns the coffee trade while caring for roasting and grinding machinery at B. Koorn & Company, his father’s coffee and tea business in Alkmaar, Holland.

He forgoes college, moves to London to pursue the importing of coffee and tea, and continues to make things with his hands and fiddle with machines.

1950s

He works in the tea business in Indonesia—a pivotal experience that eventually inspires him to bring darkly roasted Indonesian beans to an unaware coffee-drinking public.

He temporarily resides in New Zealand. TL;DR he declares it boring and sails to the U.S.

When he arrives in California, he goes to work in the coffee import business but soon discovers that the richest country in the world drinks the lousiest coffee (we’re talking mass-produced, vacuum-sealed cans—not great).

1966

He leaves the coffee import business to start his own shop in Berkeley at Vine and Walnut, a working-class neighborhood near the University of California campus.

He vows to only use high-quality beans, and a roasting system manually calibrated to achieve an even darker, sweeter roast. Alfred Peet proudly sends a batch to his mother, who politely suggests it’s “too dark.” Thankfully, he ignores her.

FIND A STORE

1967

At his shop, he promotes the belief that there should be the shortest distance possible between the roaster and the customer (ding-ding-ding!). He single-handedly helps the American consumer appreciate freshly roasted, dark roast blends.

1969

Retired army sergeant Key Dickason brings the idea for our most beloved blend, Major Dickason’s Blend, to Mr. Peet, sampling countless combinations before arriving at what is now our all-time bestseller.

Alfred Peet decided naming it after his customer wasn't enough—Dickason's rich, complex blend deserved a promotion from sergeant to Major.

1971

With the opening of Chez Panisse around the corner, Berkeley’s neighborhood surrounding the corner of Vine and Walnut officially becomes a culinary destination.

Three young entrepreneurs approach Mr. Peet to learn the critical roasting and blending aspects of the coffee business. He provides them with training as well as the roasted coffee beans for their new venture, Starbucks. Yes, that Starbucks.

1973

Jim Reynolds trains with Alfred Peet as a roaster, later to become the second Roastmaster after Mr. Peet. Now Roastmaster Emeritus, Mr. Reynolds continues to influence Peet’s.

2000

Peet’s coffee makes its way into grocery stores. Now in thousands of locations, coffee lovers in all 50 states have access to quality beans.

2006

Doug Welsh is promoted to Roastmaster, only the third in the company’s history.

2014

Peet’s buys Mighty Leaf Tea, consistently hailed as the premium tea manufacturer. And a delicious addition to our portfolio.

SHOP TEA

2015

Peet’s adds Stumptown and Intelligentsia, both founded by former Peet’s employees, to our portfolio, further adding to our craft coffee credentials.

2016

Peet’s 50th anniversary called for something special—so we honored Mr. Peet with a coffee as groundbreaking as he was. Big Bang redefines what a medium roast can be: full-flavored, vibrant, and unforgettable.

2023

Peet’s launches “The Bright Collection” featuring a wildly new roasting style for us. Now coffees with vibrant, fruit-forward flavors join those in our much-loved roasty toasty roast profile.

2024

Ultra Coffee Concentrate changes the game for those who want barista-quality coffee at home, on the go, or in a hurry. With only one tablespoon, anyone can make a Peet’s level drink at home or anywhere.

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