Alfred H. Peet, 1920-2007

When Alfred Peet opened his shop in Berkeley in April, 1966 he started a coffee revolution. Nobody had ever seen top-quality coffee like this roasted in this unique style in America. The corner of Walnut and Vine quickly became a gathering place for UC Berkeley grads, undergrads, and faculty as well as local intellectuals, radicals, writers, musicians, artisans and any number of the colorful people who still make up Berkeley today.

Mr. Peet was born in Alkmaar, Holland on March 10, 1920 and died in Ashland, Oregon on August 29, 2007.  His father had a small coffee roastery in Alkmaar prior to World War II, and Alfred helped his father by cleaning machinery and doing other odd jobs as a boy.  When Germany invaded the Netherlands he was pressed into working for the Third Reich in Frankfurt and witnessed first hand the intensive Allied bombings there in early 1944.  When the war ended, Alfred joined Lipton’s Tea in London as an apprentice and afterwards went out to the still-Dutch colony of Indonesia to work in the tea business there.  He immigrated to San Francisco in 1955 and eventually found a job in the coffee importing business of E. A. Johnson & Co.  But all the coffee coming into San Francisco was relatively low quality Brazils and “Central Standard” Salvadors for the large local roasting companies Folgers, MJB, and Hills Brothers.  This was frustrating to Mr. Peet because he remembered the great high altitude coffees from Costa Rica, Guatemala, and East Africa that his father used to buy.  But there were no customers for them here, so he decided to do something about it.

He scoured the West Coast from Vancouver to Palo Alto looking for a suitable location for a high-quality coffee roastery before a friend told him that she knew the right place for him, right across the Bay in Berkeley.  He installed a small roaster in the shop’s back room, and the revolution began.

As Peet’s in Berkeley flourished, Mr. Peet opened additional stores in Menlo Park (1971), on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland (1978), and another in Berkeley across from the Claremont Hotel (1980).  By the time he retired in 1983, Peet’s had a cult following from coast to coast, and many of his devoted fans continue to insist on Peet’s.

In his own words, when asked to recount his life’s story, Alfred Peet responded simply, “The coffee tells my story.”

Feel free to share any comments you have below.

Comments

[Kim Walker]

Pete's was not, in fact, a hangout for Berzerkely radicals or students or whatever 1969 fantasy that may occur to you. It was simply a place, known to a few coffee addicts, to get a great cup of coffee. Al Peet was a somewhat taciturn perfectionist who seemed satisfied with nothing more than turning out the best cup of coffee on the West Coast. He hardly ever smiled- never knew his customers- and simply did his thing. And his thing was the stuff of greatness- perfect coffee- just as the cheese shop next door sold a perfect gruyere.

Alice Waters, Ca. 1970, who lived around the corner, loved Peets.

Is Peet's of 1970 still Peet's in 2008? Good coffee, not great- but yet among the best.

[David English]

I had not heard until just now of the passing of Mr. Peet...rest well, young man, we owe you a lot!

I hated coffee! I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley with the "regular" coffee, perculated in the fashion of the 60's with the reboiler type, and was further refined in taste by the Navy style of creating coffee, something better suited to removing paint than drinking. Nights at Herrick Hospital were tough but Tea always kept me awake. So some angel I worked with said to me "If you want something better than that Lipton stuff, you should go down to Peets, they have great Tea there"! Little did I know what a difference that statement would make in my life..

I started my experience with Peet's by drinking their divine Earl Grey. I could brew such a dark cup of that perfectly cut tea..it was heaven at my Berkley Way apartment. They always offered me that free cup of coffee- I tried it once and, my god! It was sooo strong!! Again, I hate coffee... The Assam Golden tip and Breakfast teas were also learned favorites.. Alas, too much of a good thing and I developed a food allergy to Earl Grey over the years... what to do???

Well, I go into Peet's in Menlo, cuz I had moved to the "dark side", Palo Alto! (Still a "Bear"!) and discuss my prediciment and they ask me all kinds of questions about my particular tastes and led me to a medium roast Antiquia-something...and a French-Press...and a new love was borne. They offered me that crazy-thick free cup o' joe and I politely thanked them but no thanks... so this nice lady asks if I would like a Cauppiccino (sp?), which I had never had before...

Now I live in Minnesota... I am an avowed Peetnick! Cauppiccino is my preferred drink, of which I can match any with my own maker at home! I have instigated several conversions locally here to Peet's coffee, both people and Restaraunts, now will drink nothing not Peet's, at least not without complaining loudly! My pride and joy was when a local gas station converted and I saw a sign in their coffee area stating "Now proudly serving Peet's coffee"... I now own more coffee paraphenalia than I thought I would ever own and consider myself to be fairly educated on coffee and can tell exactly what type of coffee it is by sight and taste..and, by the way... I LOVE COFFEE!!!

So how do I thank someone who not only touched my life, but vastly improved my experiences around this simple yet intregal part of everyday life? Maybe today I can simply say "Thanks, Mr Peet! Thanks for making such great coffee, and thanks for being so careful and consistent...and guiding us the right way. You have made such a difference and created so much pleasure with such a simple and selfless act as sticking to your ideals! Thank you for everything!"

Ps- One last note. Just in case you ever forget, you are blessed! The coffee is putrid in the Midwest! Just think of a giant Denny's, that's what you get... Specialty drinks? It's all a Latte, no real differentation to specialty drinks... so when you live in an area where you can walk or drive down to Peet's...don't forget how lucky you are!! Once you are away from it.. you realize how blessed you were!!

[drbehavior]

A trip to Berkeley's Fourth Street for a weekend of strolling and shopping was never complete without my wife and I stopping at Peet's for a cup of coffee and some pastry. It wasn't just stopping for any old 'cup of', rather, it was the whole experience and in particular the ambiance. The aroma of fresh ground coffee wafted through the air while the many different people either lined the counter or occupied the tables on the patio. I believe that in the final analysis coffee is not just coffee anymore - not since I was introduced to Peets fourteen years ago.

[Muchiri Nyaggah]

Peet's is an inspiration beyond the borders of the USA. The founders of Nairobi based Nairobi Java House are fans of Peet's and they have built a formidable brand out here. Like Mr. Peet, they found they couldn't get great coffee in the cup in Kenya. A pity especially because some of the world's best coffees come from here. So they got together and started a specialty coffee restaurant with a medium sized roaster in the back and a great Mexican-leaning menu. They now have 8 stores and a cult following worldwide.

[Walter Merlino]

I first encountered Mr. Peet the third day after he opened his shop on the corner of Walnut and Vine in Berkeley. I lived on Walnut Strteet just a half block from his store.

I remember waking up to the smell of coffee roasting and as I looked out the window, I could see the smoke drifting from the roaster down the street past my house. No one can resist the smell of fresh roasting coffee, so I followed the trail of smoke down the block and got my first cup of "Peet's" forty-two years ago. I have been loyal ever since.

Mr. Peet used to roast his coffee in three green garages behind his store. Years later the garages were torn down to make way for Walnut Square. This was a great loss to the neighborhood.

Mr. Peet was a very busy man and didn't have much time for chatting with his customers. However, there was a sweet small woman behind the counter, Hazel, who worked many years in the store. She always made the place warm and inviting.

When Hazel served coffee you could also buy a slice of coffee cake. Mr Peet bought the coffee cake fresh each day from the Virginia Bakery.

Hazel knew the regulars, of which I was one, and she would sometimes give a little extra slice of coffee cake and then act like it was a secret between us. She would put her finger on her lips as if to say, "don't tell Mr Peet."

The Cheese Board Collective was the only other food shop in the area (North Berkeley). Everything followed Mr. Peet and the Cheese Board. Those two stores created the Gourmet Ghetto which was still years away from Mr. Peet's opening day.

Mr. Peet served his coffee in special ceramic cups, which have long ago disappeared. However, I still have four cups. I will give one to the Clayton store. My mother who lived into her mid-eighties would only drink coffee out of Peet's cups. She recieved a set of four for her forty-fifth birthday.

Mr. Peet was not a political man, yet his shop was in the center of 1960's Berkeley.
Mr. Peet (and his shop) were there for the anti-war protests, the occupation of Berkeley by the National Guard, the tear gas and the Alameda County "Blue Meanies."

He served coffee, sometimes free, to Berkeley teachers, who sustained a seven week strike in front of the School District building on Walnut Street.

The corner of Walnut and Vine became a hangout for Berkeley intellectuals as well as the unemployed. Sometimes the sidewalk was jammed with coffee drinkers. Mr Peet must have stoically enjoyed that.

My cat Putt also had a great affinity toward Peet's. Along with coffee, tea and spices, Mr. Peet sold absolutely the freshest catnip in the Bay Area. An ounce of that tied into a sock sent Putt over the top.

I rarely saw Mr. Peet drink coffee (too busy I guess). However one day, he took one of his ceramic coffee cups and filled it three quarters full with his rich black coffee. Then he filled the remainder of the cup with half and half and two heaping spoons of sugar. I was shocked because like most people who drank coffee at his shop, I drank mine black. Maybe he was portending the crazy flavorings we now see in coffee shops, including his own.

When Mr. Peet opened his second and then third shop, there was a fear that the flavor or quality of the coffee would change. It didnt, and it hasn't to this day. Mr Peet taught you guys well!

The saddest coffee drinking day in my life came when I moved from Berekely to Clayton in 1991. I had always had Peet's coffee at home as well as daily at his store, but the daily morning routine for me was over. However, drinking Peet's at home was just a bit more difficult now then it was on Walnut Street. It was now an hour or more round trip whenever I needed coffee at home. I couldn't drink anything else so I bought it two pounds at once.

Thankfully, a couple of years ago Peet's magically appeared in Clayton, and even though I don't hang out there every day, I'm thankful for the shorter drive to get my stash.

I have many more memories of Mr. Peet and his innovative shop in Berkeley. I'm sad to hear he has passed away. Belive me, he won't be forgotten. Thank you for honoring him.

[TKJ]

SLOtown has Peet's now! Yeahoo!

[Doug Ward]

I have been a Peet's fan for ten years now. I tend to go down to the local store in Los Gatos for the fresh coffee and the friends I have made over the years.

After living in Germany in the late eighties I learned what REAL coffee was all about. Coming home and having a Peet's open up in town was a true gift for me and I have been a loyal fan ever since.

Thank you Mr Peet for your dedication to making a very good coffee for us in America.

Doug Ward

"Peetnik for life"

[Valle]

Look forward to founders day today, can't wait to see the roastery in Alameda. Peet's coffee is and always will be the highest standard and the choice for our family. Nothing compares.

[Michael Burke]

I first discovered that there was more to coffee than Yuban, MJB and Foldgers on a trip to visit friends in Menlo Park shortly after the store their opened. I probably would have gone to UC Berkeley anyway, but the 6 coffee houses around campus in the mid-1970s and Peets in the neighborhood cinched the decision.

[Kerry Dalrymple]

Better late than never. I just came to the website to find contact information and was surprised to find out that the Founder, Alfred Peet passed away. All I can say is that this is my favorite coffee. You can taste the heart in this coffee. I just brougt a bag from home to work where they routinely use a variety of coffees. I have never heard so many comments in my life. I think they all became Peets fans at their first cup! I sincerely hope that Peets will continue to be a part of all our communities as it truly stands out from all the other competitors. By best to the Peets family and thank you Alfred for bringing such a flavorful taste to my mornings.

[min-young]

Thank you for your passion for coffee.
I'm really impressed on peet's coffee. I hope to follow your way for coffee.
I respect for your passion.

[Jennifer W]

I used to go to Starbucks... But two days ago, I tried Peet's for the first time and I am sold!
I love Peet's coffee.

[Jasmine Mo]

I'm so glad we had Mr. Peet. He created fine coffee & teas with passion and forethought. Its great to have access to locally-created goods. I fell in love with Peet's teas, they are truly the best. I look forward to expanding my Peet palate, and I hope Peet's continues with its success.

[Michael Barrett]

So many things have happened in my life since last summer and I havent been to this website.

This is the first I have known about Mr Peet's passing.

I have been a fan for many years, having started my specialty coffee experience in 1967 at the Walnut Square store, as a 14 year old native.

The coffee world has lost a genius and an artist. It feels as if I have lost a grandfather.

What a wonderful legacy and what joy and pleasure this man has created for so many for so long.

Good bye from my heart and God Bless Alfred Peet.

[George Hanus]

One brisk Sunday morning 23 years ago, my neighbor said to me, get a large mug George, we're going for coffee. I was bewildered, but went along. She took me into the Menlo Park PEETS and, now as I look back, a certain stint of quality entered my life that has only grown. Later I moved out of the country and had to resort to ordering PEETS by mail. The post office forced me to pick these packages up in person since it made the whole post office smell very good! And people wonder why I really came back to the Bay Area! Education schmeducation, it was the coffee!

To this day I go for my loving cup every morning, just one medium please, either at home out of my press pot, or at the local shop where we all know each other by name. All my friends wonder how I know how to brew such fine coffee and tea perfectly. All you have to do is just ask.

Peets is part of the beiginning my every day, which in turn, is the foundataion of how I treat the rest of the world, and the successes that brings. A simple thank you does not capture it. It is signature of the beginning of every day of my existtance.

To think this all comes from someone caring enough about properly brewing a simple bean from far off... simply for my pleasure. Of course I give this gift to everone I care for. Although I never had the personal opportunity to meet the Mr. Peet, he has touched my life in a deep, rich way, with just the right amount of acidity and a lot of body!

I am honored.

[john cannon]

I read Peet's obituary in the Boston Globe.

Very impressive man.

[James]

My wife and I are loyal customers of Peets Coffee and we surely enjoy the aroma as soon as you walk in the store. We are in a process of relocating to Las Vegas,NV. Does anyone know if there's one in Vegas? Thank You!!!

[jim holt]

By jim holt

It was sad to hear that the man behind my favorite cup of coffee died.

I came back from Burning Man, first day back in the default world, lining up at Peets Coffee (the only one in our small but growing town) and, as I waited in line to order, saw a brochure about his death.

I grew up far from Peets and far from Oakland where I understand the first Peets coffee was made, far from Berkeley where I understand it grew in popularity.

This was significant for me since I grew up (far away) with a romantic longing to be in Berkeley during the 60’s, the social evolution that was unfolding there.

So, when a friend of mine (in our small but growing town) suggested I try coffee at Peets, persuading me with the added bit of information – that he was from Oakland and he himself had grown to consider it the best tasting coffee on the planet.

Out of a love for Berkeley and – doubly so when I found out that Peets started up in the throes of hippydom – I tried Peets and instantly made it a daily part of my life. No more lining up behind scores of people eyeing pastries and waiting to order their complex candy coffee mixes.

But, that’s not why I’m writing to honor the man that set those wheels in motion.

I would like to have written this when he was alive, to let him know that while I was attending that celebration which, for all intents and purposes grew naturally out of the same Berkeley experience – Burning Man – I experienced a convergence of sorts.

One morning I was making coffee under the clear blue morning sky, with my butane heating stove balanced on a homemade drum, balancing handfuls of primitive tools, when someone across the dirt road called to me.

“Want some coffee?”

I was leery. I was making Peets, after all.

“Sure” I said, venturing over to a very solid-looking sturdy tent filled with tables and chairs and much infrastructure. I was directed to the coffee in a tin: PEETS.

They were all from Berkeley. They said it was best tasting coffee on the planet.

It was a strange, yet fitting, convergence of elements. The stars, the peace, the understanding, the evolution, the meeting of elements …. I think Mr. Peets would have liked knowing about such an alignment.

[Ryan]

An absolute pleasure to be introduced to such a fine company created by a wonderful man. Thanks

[R Freeberg]

Quality. The man and his product. The real thing, great coffee from a real 'mensch'.

In 1967 I filled up with a thermos of Peets and drove all the way to Portland non-stop, on route one to boot!

The thing I admired about Alfred was the way he maintained the dignity and order of his shop on Vine - a difficult task given the, sometimes rowdy, cast of Berserkly characters that inevitably hung about! Often merely from his force of character.

God Bless you Alfred, where ever you are now, and I'm hoping that, if there is an afterlife, perhaps maybe there's a Peets down the street...

[Mary Justice]

Mr. Peet was an ideal of gentlemanly behavior. I don't know how he managed to put up with the odd and apparently homeless individuals that hung around the Walnut Street store in the early years.

I hope you keep his picture posted for all time. I really love seeing it and telling people there really was a Mr. Peet.

[Suzanne Dietsch]

My husband and I were introduced to Peet's coffee by a house guest in 1968. It was so wonderful! Since I drank three pots of coffee a day, this totally spoiled me. For years we went to Berkeley once a month from the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton to buy 4 pounds of beans. It was a great outing for us and over the years we bought cups and coffee pots. When we finally could buy the coffee by mail, it was very nice but just not the same. The wonderful smell in the shop was missing! As the stores grew in number, we could buy Peet's closer to home, but the first shop in Berkeley will always be special to us.

[Stewart Low]

When Nellcor was a start-up in the Bay Area, Peet's coffee was one of the few perks (no pun intended) they could afford. By the mid 80', the staff had grown by leaps and bounds and keeping Peet's in the lunch area was getting expensive. When the bean counters (again, no pun intended) decided to save a few dollars, the coffee was on the chopping block. Kenny White, the mechanic's artist who ran the prototype shop heard, he marched into the president's office and said "if you take away Peet's, I quit". They took away the Peet's, Kenny quit, they brought back Peet's, Kenny returned and we all lived happily ever after.

[Aimee Heath]

I have great memories as a child of the smells wafting out two blocks away from the corner store in Mill Valley, because the double doors were open. We'd go there every week to get our beans. We'd sit on the huge bags of beans, close our eyes and take a big whiff... and giggle at a pleasure we were too young to taste. I have never tried "flavor crystals" from an instant, thanks to Peet's early entry into my life. I didn't need to know the man to know he knew quality. He truely is in every cup.

[Susabelle]

Since completing my doctoral studies at Cal and returning to my home in Toronto, Canada, I've been missing Peet's coffee tremendously. I'm deeply saddened to learn of Mr. Peet's passing. I treasure the memories of the shop at Vine and Walnut, of the special Peet's mugs, and of the great times that were made all the more special with Peet's coffee. Rest in Peace, Mr. Peet, and know that you brought great joy to a very appreciative international clientele.

[Joe Meraj]

When Peets coffee shop was under construction in South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, there were already four other coffee shops (I wont name names) within "the same" very short block. At that time I was absolutely convinced that it was a terrible mistake on Peets part to set up shop here with so much competition. Well I was completely wrong and Peets turned out to be a great success. Nowadays if I am not at home or at my office, you can usually find me at Peets of South Beverly Drive where I can enjoy my favorite brew and relax and feel at home. This is the evidence of the great vision of Mr. Alfred Peets as well as the great coffees and teas. Thank you Mr. Peets.

[Walt Neal]

Last year about this time I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Peet and interview him. After having worked at Peet's for many years, and loving coffee for a few decades, I had many questions for him. I hoped for an hour or two of his time.
When I got to Ashland we began to speak in Dutch, his native language, and eventually the chat lasted 7 hours. He told me about his youth in Alkmaar, his time in Java as a tea taster, of searching for jobs in Australia and New Zealand, and of finally coming to America, first working for others, and then finally starting his own business selling the finest quality coffees he could find.
He also told me he had bone cancer.
He said he didn't want to be considered the guru or hero that some people wanted to make him. He just wanted his coffee to speak for itself, and that he hoped his father would have been proud of what he had accomplished in life.
He seemed to me to be a humble man of great deeds. Meeting him was one the great joys of my life.

[jean rowe lieber]

Peet's Vine street store opened soon after I arrived in Berkeley with my two children, and was certainly a part of the consciousness raising experiences of the next decade or so. We shared a birth date as did two other folks starting up new business ventures. Here's to Mr Peet's memory, Mocha-Java and Pisces people.

[Sonny]

Peet's was my first introduction to coffee.. the fabulous coffee makers and beans of all kinds. In the 70s in Berkeley, the wondrous Peet's was one of a kind, and one of the best educations. We should all have such an impact.

[Rebecca]

Mr Peet's legacy should include the fact that Peets offers employment with good benefits to young people. He was the pioneer who brought the best coffee and roasting to the masses and to the gourmets who may otherwise not recall a world without Peets coffee. Thanks Mr Peet for creating this wonderful company which also provided our daughter with her first "real world" job and a fine opportunity to learn about customer service, great teas and superb coffee.

[R&B Gittens]

Peet was a part of our lives 1969 - 70's. His dedication to a great cup of coffee was enormous! A real professional who picked out the
best beans and knew the secrets of roasting to perfection.
Please try to get the news of his passing out to all the ex-Berkelyites that are now scattered around the country (and the world?) i know that you'd get some great Peet stories.
R&B, Cathedral City, CA

[Gail Greenlees]

At the Mothership (Vine Street) in the 1990's we had photos of Mr. Peet's hometown---Alkmaar, Netherlands---up on the wall. They had been taken by Shirley Betz, a regular customer who had spent time there. One day Mr. Peet came in and we spent some time discussing the photos of places so familiar to him growing up: he ice skated on that waterway in the winter with the windmill in the background, he walked across that little footbridge every day. The railing was made from gnarled tree branches. He was altar boy in that church.
Some of my favorite memories of Mr. Peet were the times when he would come in to check up on his baby. He never introduced himself as the founder of Peet's. Unless you knew him, he would have gone unnoticed. Ross or I recognized him and would have our private conversation with him. He would often buy a tin of Darjeeling Fancy and we would give him the employee discount. He should have gotten it free.

[Suzy Ticho]

I'm probably the only one responding who dated Alfred Peet. As a young, divorced mother getting a teaching credential at Berkeley, I discovered Peet's a year or two after it opened. I became a regular (there was no coffee like his) and we became friendly. Among other things, we shared an interest in 16th and 17th Dutch engravings and majolica. He had been, as he put it, a "slave laborer" under the Germans during WWII in Holland. He said something about them that stayed with me. Though they were brutal, he said he still felt quite stirred when he heard them singing while they marched. Alfred was an avid horseman, he was a hiker, and at that time, he was also a devout Catholic. We went to Yosemite together on a hiking trip with my five-year-old son. I was very fond of him and always have been. But his story was the coffee, and it still is. I buy it now in La Jolla, and today I saw the announcement of his death when I went for a cup.

Suzy Ticho

[Philippa]

Dear Mr. Peet (I revered him too much to call him Al. What great legacy you have given to so many grateful fans and friends. Not only were you a visionary and a great businessman, but you were a real gentleman.

Our paths crossed many times in the last almost 50 years. As a 30 year old I had never drunk coffee, BUT, after my first sip of his House blend in 1968, I was hooked and have been a faithful Peet's drinker ever since -- even taking my stash of beans when I travel overseas!

Immediately after WWII Mr. Peet spent time hoping to settle in New Zealand, but the lure of the US was greater, and we met again in the Bay Area almost 20 years later. Following my retirement in 2001 we met up again in Southern Oregon and I treasure the times spent sipping tea and 'talking kiwi' on our deck overlooking the Rogue Valley. God Speed dear man!

[pleb1]

My sympathies to Mr. Peets' family and friends. I lift my coffee cup in honor of all he accomplished!

[Danny Grasseschi]

I am a long time Peet's fan from the Bay Area now living in San Luis Obispo. Today was the grand opening of Peet's San Luis Obispo store (finally!). I was among the first customers this morning, but the very first customer, a woman named Sandra whom I met there, was also the very first customer Alfred Peet ever served at the opening of the Vine Street store! She said with great fondness that Alfred was a "wonderful man". I was honored to be among the first in SLO, and Alfred would have been proud to see Sandra still very excited over the coffee he created over 40 years ago. Your legacy lives on....

Danny Grasseschi

[Koji Brimm]

My sister went to CAL in the 70's and would always buy me coffee for Christmas. She came down to Del Rey Oaks to hand deliver Peet's coffee. I've been a Peetnik for 30+ years. Thanks to Alfred and all his co-horts.
PEACE & LOVE

~ Koji

[Tim Wiesner]

Good coffee is attainable...is what this boy from Kansas first thought when he had a coffee from Peet's in San Francisco. When Mr. Peet put on a roasting class with Probat, I was there. Spent 3 days with him, writing down his pearls of coffee wisdom. Soon after, I bought my own 12K roaster. I called him periodically and he always spent time with me over the phone, helping me to further refine my technique. I think of him every time I roast.

[Wendell]

In about 1975, my brother moved to Berkeley, and I began to visit him on occasion. My epiphany regarding Peet's (101 blend, it was) happened not long after at Fat Albert's on Grove St (Yeah, that's a long time ago). I've been drinking Peet's ever since. Consciousness-raising? Certainly! I think my learned appreciation for food and beverage began when I first tasted Peet's great coffees!

[J. Smith]

It absolutely makes my day when I am able to locate a Peet's nearby and enjoy their superb coffee. I am so excited and happy that we finally have one opening in San Luis Obispo, CA in 2 days!!

[G. Bower]

I don't know what I'd do without Peet's Guatamela coffee - I've never found anything better. I was just in Papua New Guinea and bought coffee in Mt Hagen which is grow and roasted right there- even that didn't match up. Thank you Mr. Peet, for bringing real coffee to us.

[Sarina]

Jammer dat in Nederland men pas leest over een persoon die belangrijk is geweest, wanneer hij overleden is!
Maar 6 jaar geleden was ik bij mijn vriendin in Amerika en zij dronk enkel zijn koffie omdat het andere niet te drinken was!

[Debbie (Thow)Raynor]

I knew Alfred from the Vine St. store. I was 19 and worked at one of the 2 espresso cafes in town. It was my job to go to Peets and buy the teas for the shop. I lived nearby and would either walk or ride my bike from my shop to Peets. Alfred would come to the cafe and sit and drink espresso. Alfred was so interesting- he showed me the Emeryville plant, and talked about things new to me. I remember that he wanted to hike up Mt. Tam on Thanksgiving and eat a turkey sandwich, which I thought was crazy then but sounds like a great idea now. When his niece visited he asked me to take her horseback riding with me, and we did that. Recently I have been having strong memories of Alfred and feeling like I wanted to talk to him again. What a shame that when I started to look for him I found out he had just passed. My deep sympathies go to his family and friends. I would love to talk about my memories at a memorial and listen to stories from others who knew him.

[Diane Larsen]

Thank you Mr. Peet for the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I'm now 63, so that's a lot of cups of coffee.

From a loyal Peetnik!

[Michael Kaplan]

Thank you Alfred Peet for starting the revolution and keeping it pure. Unlike many of its unfortunate competitors, Peet's has never forgotten that it's all about the coffee.

[Ryan in Indy]

Rest in Peace Mr. Peet. I had the privilege to work for Peet's and learn the ways of fine coffee brewing while living in Southern California a few years ago. Since then I have relocated to Indiana. I have my Major D and Garuda shipped to me here and always look forward to going to Peet's whenever I am in Chicago.

Thank you Mr. Peet for such a wonderful product that adds to so many people's lives everyday.

[Lynn]

We live in San Jose. In the mid 70's we started driving to Peet's in Berkeley every month for our coffee. As stores opened closer to us we didn't have as far to travel. Now, it comes to us by mail, from the grocery store, or from one of our local Peets. Still is and always will be the best!
Thank you Mr. Peet

[Lynn]

We live in San Jose. In the mid 70's we started driving to Peet's in Berkeley every month for our coffee. As stores opened closer to us we didn't have as far to travel. Now, it comes to us by mail, from the grocery store, or from one of our local Peets. Still is and always will be the best!
Thank you Mr. Peet

[Marilyn K.]

When Peet's first opened in Berkeley I knew something special had arrived and I have been a loyal fan for many years. When we moved to Southern California we were distraught without decent coffee (Peet's) and when they finally came to So. Cal. we were overjoyed. Thank you for the memories.

[Mark Harmsen]

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