Alfred Peet
Encyclopedia
Alfred H. Peet was a Dutch
-American
entrepreneur and the founder of Peet's Coffee & Tea
in Berkeley, California, in 1966. He is most famous for introducing custom coffee
roasting to the United States.
Peet was born in Alkmaar
, Netherlands
, where his father ran a small coffee roastery before World War II
. After the war, Peet left London, where he had apprenticed with a coffee and tea company, and worked as a tea taster
in the Dutch East Indies
and New Zealand
before immigrating to San Francisco, California
in 1955, where he worked in the coffee importing industry.
After becoming dismayed at the poor quality of coffee in the United States (according to Peet, the reason that the quality of coffee was so bad in the USA is that people were still drinking World War II style "rationed" coffee ), he opened his own coffee store in Berkeley, California
, in 1966, and soon opened new stores in Oakland
, Mill Valley
and Menlo Park
.
Peet taught his style of roasting beans to Jerry Baldwin
, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker
, who took the technique to Seattle and founded Starbucks
in 1971. Peet is widely credited with starting the specialty coffee revolution in the US. Among coffee historians, Peet is labeled as "the Dutchman who taught America how to drink coffee."
Peet sold the business in 1979, but remained a coffee buyer until 1983.
An interview with Alfred Peet is included in the documentary "Coffee Culture USA" released in 2008.
After retiring from the coffee business, Peet moved in 2001 to Ashland, Oregon
, where he died on August 29, 2007 at age 87.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur and the founder of Peet's Coffee & Tea
Peet's Coffee & Tea
Peet's Coffee & Tea is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer. Founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California as "Peet's Coffee, Tea & Spices", Peet's is especially known for its strong, dark roasted coffee, including its Major Dickason blend.- Company history :Alfred Peet started Peet's...
in Berkeley, California, in 1966. He is most famous for introducing custom coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
roasting to the United States.
Peet was born in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where his father ran a small coffee roastery before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, Peet left London, where he had apprenticed with a coffee and tea company, and worked as a tea taster
Tea tasting
Tea tasting is the process in which a trained taster determines the quality of a particular tea. Due to climatic conditions, topography, manufacturing process, and different clones of the Camellia sinensis plant , the final product may have vastly differing flavours and appearance...
in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
before immigrating to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1955, where he worked in the coffee importing industry.
After becoming dismayed at the poor quality of coffee in the United States (according to Peet, the reason that the quality of coffee was so bad in the USA is that people were still drinking World War II style "rationed" coffee ), he opened his own coffee store in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, in 1966, and soon opened new stores in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
and Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
.
Peet taught his style of roasting beans to Jerry Baldwin
Jerry Baldwin
Jerry Baldwin, along with Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl, founded Starbucks in Seattle in 1971.Baldwin learned the coffee trade from Alfred Peet, whose store Peet's Coffee & Tea was the inspiration for Starbucks. Starbucks purchased roasted coffee beans from Peet's during its first year of operation...
, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker
Gordon Bowker
Gordon Bowker is an American entrepreneur. He began as a writer and went on to co-found Starbucks along with Jerry Baldwin and Zev Siegl. He was later a co-owner of Peet's Coffee & Tea and Redhook Ale Brewery...
, who took the technique to Seattle and founded Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
in 1971. Peet is widely credited with starting the specialty coffee revolution in the US. Among coffee historians, Peet is labeled as "the Dutchman who taught America how to drink coffee."
Peet sold the business in 1979, but remained a coffee buyer until 1983.
An interview with Alfred Peet is included in the documentary "Coffee Culture USA" released in 2008.
After retiring from the coffee business, Peet moved in 2001 to Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
, where he died on August 29, 2007 at age 87.