The Public has Spoken and Spoken and Spoken and…

- Brian Platter, Peet’s home delivery general manager

The “Why I love Peet’s” content ran from March 10, 2008 through April 20, 2008. Coffee lovers were invited to share their passion for Peet’s with their friends. Peet’s received thousands of entries and announced 10 winners each week for the duration of the contest. The winners AND their friends won free coffee beans (or tea) for a year — A Comparative tasting tour (2 pounds a month for 12 months). Winning stories were selected based on originality, creativity and persuasiveness.

For six weeks Peet’s lovers from around the country poured their heart and souls into these stories.  The depth, humor, poignancy, creativity and passion were astounding.  When all was said and done, 3,345 fantastic entries were submitted and sent to 12,255 friends.  Two hundred entries mentioned 90 (more than half) of our stores -- and many staff employees by name -- when describing what makes their Peet's experience unique.

We loved reading each and every story. It was truly difficult to choose winners as so many inspired us with their originality and creativity: from heartfelt stories, to poems and song lyrics. Some even expressed themselves in haiku or nursery rhymes!  I’m sure the over twelve thousand folks that received stories from their friends were amazed by the excellence of the entries.

For those that entered, I know it was hard work and I’m confident that your friends deeply enjoyed your stories.  Thank you so much for participating in the contest.  Be sure to visit our website to read the amazing winning stories.  While you’re there, you can continue to share your story with your friends.

Here are a few excerpts from some winning stories:

My love—my passion—for Peet's Coffee rose like a Phoenix from the ashes in the devastation after Hurricane Katrina. We were on generator power and had intermittent internet and phone service. Supplies, if available, were short and working hours were incredibly long, hot and difficult. We quickly learned in those first days and weeks to appreciate simple things like a roof over our heads, a place to rest, water to shower with, the beauty of the stars above a dark town, basic kindness, and of course… a really good cup of coffee. -
- Katherine K. Baker

Once upon a morning dreary, I stepped from Muni, tired and bleary
Bleary-eyed and stumbling toward the curb
And on the curb I started up, thinking of a steaming cup
A steaming cup of coffee and muffin herbed
"Where is my Peet's? " I muttered, "for I need caffeine--only Peet's and nothing more.
- excerpt from poem "Peet's Evermore" by Kristen Imler

Whenever she travels, Peet's coffee is with her. If possible, she will choose a hotel based on whether or not they serve Peet's coffee. She has Peet's coffee shipped to expatriates in other countries. When she visits friends' homes as an overnight guest, she brings Peet's coffee under the guise of a gift, so that she can have it when she wakes up in the morning. Once when they had a power failure in their neighborhood, she drove to another part of town with her grinder and coffee pot, sat on the curb and used an outlet on the outside of a strip mall to make Peet's coffee.
- Allyse L. Hall explaining how much her friend loves Peet's

We invite you to read the full stories at peets.com

Comments

[Larry J. Roback]

I just had to write and tell you my 21 month old grandson says " I am a Peetnik". I can't grind the beans of Major Dick , as he calls it, without out him wanting to smell the ground up coffee. He says "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, good, good, some, some" So cute!! I have a 100 year old doughnut shop called Hinckley's in my home town of Jackson, Mi. Every Wednesday my grandson and son show up at the door with Hinckley doughnuts and my grandson saying "Peets, Peets ". I want to tell you , Hinckley doughnuts and Peet's is a marriage made in heaven!!
My son introduce Peet's to me when stationed in Hawaii at the Marine base. They carry it at the commissary there. That was about 4 years ago. I have been a Peetnik since the first cup. I used to fly bags of it back home with me so I had a good supply. Then they transferred to Pt.Mugu California and were able to get Peet's easily.
Now they moved to Jackson Mi. where my daughter- in- law is a Navy Recruiter for the next 3 years. We are able to get Peet's at the commisary at Selfridge Base near Detroit. My son gave me 4 bags of Major Dickason for Christmas and I just opened my last bag this morning. I swear it gets better with each bag!! I started to panic this morning and texted my son that we had to make a Peet's run very soon.
Thanks so much for all the painstaking tasting and testing your coffee. It sure has made my morning and evenings special since I became a Peetnik!
If you ever need someone for a commercial my grandson is really cute, red hair and big blue eyes that light up when he smells and tastes Peet's. After he takes a sip, he says, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Peet's"

Sincerely , Larry J.Roback

[auramac]

Although I'm disappointed my own entry didn't win, I'm both baffled and annoyed by a couple of idiotic comments I see posted here- it seems that people like them have nothing better to do with their lives than add their negative pollution to every and any site they happen upon, regardless of true interest. It is sad when leaving a trail of one's own venom and ignorance is your true "passion."

I love Peet's coffee, and I buy it.

[Frank Williams]

Peets is my favorite. It's finally on the east coast where I live.

[Madeleine Black]

Staying over & free loading & bringing Peets coffee as a gift & drinking it - can you say FREE LOADER

[Herself]

The minute I see the word "passion" applied to anything other than sex or Jesus on the cross, my eyes glaze over.

[Chris Tozour]

Those 'winning entries" really sucked. But what else would we expect from a corporate suck up like Peets.