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

[Dean]

I worked in Antarctica for 12 years. During my first three years, at McMurdo Station. I got lucky and got to go on a boondoggle. A helicopter ride around to check out the field camps in the Dry Valleys and glacial areas.

My favorite stop? A 50's issue hut at the base of a massive glacier. Once inside, warmth, the smell of brownies, and then the most amazing site: the entire walls crawling up both sides of the hut were covered in Pete's Coffee Bags.

It was my first exposure to Pete's. When I saw it in our local fine foods grocery, I had to have it. Nothing compares, and we have a good fresh roaster here in the mountains of NC that can't compare.

[Wade Meyer]

Living on the east coast I never heard of Peet's until Publix and Walmart began stocking it on their shelves. What do you think? Should I order directly from Peet's or is buying it at the grocery store just as good?

[Bruce Deyarmond]

Who was Major Dickason?

[Nicole Seers]

My family knew Mr.PEET. My grandparents Sandra and Gary Gee worked for Mr.Peet when he just began Peet's coffee. My gandfather roasted and made all of the coffees and was taught by Mr.Peet to do so. My grandmother was in charge of ordering everything. He told them they were two of the best workers he had. From what i know Mr.Peet was a great man. He was a great friend to our family he went to alot of our holiday partys and weddings. He did not get married but he had a kid. He was good friends with the men who made starbucks and even helped them make coffees, so in a way i think he helped build up starbucks too. Its really interesting reading about him in the news and online, and knowing that i met him and my family was part of his memories and he is of theres. In 2007 my grandparent were told of his passing and went to his funeral. He was a great man.

[Laurie D]

Did my comment somehow not get posted because I voiced a concern about the high fructose corn syrup???

Hmmmmm....

[Laurie D]

I LOVE Peet's Coffee however I go to Coffeehouses for the Espresso Drinks. Peet's excels in this area with one small but ongoing concern. Peet's dutch cocoa syrup has High Fructose Corn Syrup as one of its main ingredients. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been proven to cause damage to the liver and to be implicated in many of the degenerative health conditions people are experiencing these days. Removing all such contaminants and pledging to keep them out would elevate Peet's to the level of reigning champion of the coffee market in their field. I could return as a customer to enjoy my daily mochas, more importantly!

[Opinionated One]

Peet's coffee is better than starbux because it tastes better, simple.

[George Rockel]

Two good friends of mine moved from Oakland to Seattle in 1994. For a short time, they were living with me and my partner while they searched for a place to call home. They always insisted on getting coffee sent up from California, rather than buying the local coffee... Seattle is a coffee culture, and we had literally dozens of small to large coffee shops, but they had to have their Peets Coffee. At the time my partner and I loved the coffee roasted at a small roaster on Magnolia hill in Seattle. When I found myself moving to Portland for work, I started drinking coffee from another rather small roaster and when I once again moved back to Seattle was pleased to find that the same roaster had a small cafe within walking distance of my home on Queen Anne Hill. After a number of years the company was purchased by another local coffee company, and then that too was purchased by an even BIGGER company, and then the coffee changed, the dark roast coffee was a bit more bitter and had a burnt flavor, characteristic of the larger companies coffee line. I decided to try Peets since they opened a cafe across the street from where my favorite cafe used to be before the "big" coffee company closed it. I was amazed at the flavor and quality of the Peets Italian Roast coffee, rich, dark, but not bitter or burnt. Now I am a Peetnik for life. Even on the rare occasions when our local cafe is out of my now favorite Italian Roast, I will wait until the next deliver arrives, rather than going somewhere else. I now understand why my friends who moved up from Oakland refused to buy anything but Peets. I should not have been so stubborn and tried it... But being from the "coffee capital" of the US, I just thought, the best coffee had to be from here... I was very, very wrong! Thank you Peets for keeping up the tradition of small batch processing, it does make a bit difference.

[Aly Williams]

I grew up in the Bay area and used to live in Berkeley in the 1980's, just walking distance from the Walnut Square coffee shop. I recall seeing Mr. Peet sometimes in the shop.

I now live up in SW Washington and was very pleased to see that our city now has three Peets Coffee houses.

[Steve Conway]

PLEASE BRING PEET's STORES TO ARIZONA !

[Tyler]

Starting drinking from Peet's in the late 80's in high school in Orange County. Moved to San Francisco mid 90's and had my addiction secured. Since then, moved to Hawaii in 2008...became a Peet 'Nik, I have my bags at work and home. All I ask though...Can Peet's move just one of the many stores from San Francisco to O`ahu, I'm sure the workers there would go along with it! ;-)... And if they get tired of it here, I'll take over!!! ;-)
May the Peet's be with you!!!

[SRoss]

I'm in the Foreign service, so I move alot. I've had my Peet delivered to me in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and now Azerbaijan. Thank you for Peetniks! Wonderful service. Thank you.

[Susan Eiffert]

Please count me as one of Peet's loyal customers! I practically grew up with your coffee! All your competitors are just Johnny-come-lately imitators. I've tasted coffee all over Europe and the US and there's nothing to compare.

When I moved to the East Coast from SF, I was shocked that Dunkin' Donuts was the brand of choice, so, like your other poster, I'd load up on bags of whole beans from the Walnut Creek store whenever I visited, and stuff 'em in my suitcase for the flight home.

But now my local supermarket carries Peet's and I'm thrilled! I'm an evangelist for Peet's to my East Coast friends as well. So glad you are expanding. Give those guys from Seattle a run for their money...

[Deddy Sughiarto]

My wife and I are loyal customers of Peet's Coffee in Walnut Creek store and we surely enjoy the aroma as soon as you walk in the store.
I'm interested to work for Peet's Coffee & Tea Company to help expend their Business to Asia/Australia. Starbucks has a businesses in every places in in the world why not Peet's.
I believe if Peet'f Corporate will take my idea and willing to hired me working for them, Peet's Coffee & Tea will grow to better business, Asia are the best place to make profit cheap worker, cheap rent, cheap in everything to builds the store front.
Asian people are coffee & Tea drinker people in Asia they willing to pay for the same money as we are in US.
Just Imagine how much money the company will make profit with a little over head.

[Stephanie Lo]

Dear All Peet's Coffee Lovers,

I am a student at UC Berkeley working on a research paper for my history class. I have chosen to write my paper on the history of Peet's Coffee. This blog is very inspirational and helpful to me since it has people's memories of how Peet's was like when it was first opened in 1966. I have come across a variety of blog entries that I would love to use in my paper. Not only that, if you are a writer or reader of this blog who frequented Peet's around the 1960s-1980s in Berkeley, I would love to get in touch with you and possibly learn more about your personal experiences at Peet's. Some particular points of interest to me are:

1) What was Peet's like when it first opened? What did the store look like? Was it busy? Was it a place where people routinely met up to mingle and socialize? Or did people go there more for the coffee?

2) Did Peet's have trouble attracting customers in the beginning? When did business start to pick up and Peet's started hiring people?

3) Who went to Peet's during the 1960s? 1970s? 1980s? How did Peet's clientele grow/change over time?

4) Have you met Alfred Peet? If so, what was your impression of him?

I am very excited to be writing my paper on Peet's and would be even more so if I could get in touch with some long-time Peet's drinkers. Please don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or post your comments on this blog- your personal story is deeply appreciated.

[Larry Muse]

I was first introduced to Peet's while visiting friends in Belmont. There is a Peet's a short stroll from their house. Since my friends, like most in CA, don't smoke my morning routine whilst there was too stoll down to Peet's and have a smoke on the way. I was hooked! the day we were leaving I stopped in for usual and asked if there was any quantity break if I bought 20 pounds. The poor employee asked why I wanted so much, and I told him I had to go home to where there were no Peet's and I wanted to be sure I had enough. He then handed me a small brochure and I was in heaven! Every month, like clockwork, two pounds of Major Dicason's arrives at my door and I can make it another day, thanks to Peet's. When I happen upon a Peet's in my travels I ALWAYS stop and have a cup. God rest Alfred Peet.

[Audrey]

Over the years, my father has taught me many things... How to read, write and spell, how to read a map, the appreciation for other cultures, and the love of coffee among others. When Peet's Coffee and Tea came to Willow Glen, CA, my father told me that I would never go back to Starbucks again... As we sat and savored our coffee in Peet's, he told me how he would frequent Peet's in Berkeley on Vine as an undergrad, and that is how his love of coffee was born. Though I have not lived in a state that has a Peet's since I left California, I have been lucky enough to find it at the Commissary at every Army installation I have been stationed at. Unfortunately, Starbucks is still a stop I make occasionally, but once Peet's gets to Texas, that will be a thing of the past!

[Megan Jazayeri]

I was a Starbucks fan for many years.On March 2008 I went to Peets by my brother and My boss's suggestion. At the momnet I tasted latte,and the marble cake I realized how much I was wasting my time and my money at Starbucks coffee. Since then I am encouraging people I talk to and tell them that Peets has the best coffee and sweets.
Thank you very much for providing such a good quality of products.

More power!
Megan

[Mark]

I never met Mr. Peets, I never knew there even was a man named Mr. Peet, but if he were still alive I would shake his hand in gratitude for allowing me to finally TASTE coffee for the first time. I drink Peets everyday, and for that I am grateful.

sincerely
mark

[susan leach]

I visited Alfred's store at Walnut and Vine before it opened. His friend, who helped him with all of the details of this new business, introduced us, and I became a regular. Alfred was actually quite friendly and stood behind the coffee bar chatting as he poured the Coffee of the Day.
It has been a great thing to see his business bloom, and I wish very much that we had more of his shops in Missouri. It is always a pleasure to enjoy his excellent coffee again when I am in California.

[William Cleaver]

I would have hoped to bump into Alfred Peet again one day but sadly that will never happen. Alfred did come down to New Zealand and was visiting Christchurch in the South Island. This was around 1994 I was a trainie roaster for a small coffee company. Alfred came in to purchace some coffee and stayed for three days. I never forget him standing over me and saying not yet not yet as I took a sample out with the trier. I honest thought we where going to set the place on fire. I now own my own coffee company and the lessons then have never been forgotten.
Thanks Alfred

[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.