Peet's Coffee & Tea

Vine Street Grand Re-Opening

- By Erica Hess, Peet's employee since 1996

After a few months of restoration, the doors of our Vine Street store opened this morning at 6 a.m.!

The store was filled with wonderful energy and excitement as our customers were greeted to special treats, welcoming smiles and a one-day only special offering of Top Blend® a much beloved blend. 

The true pièce de résistance however, is the Alfred Peet Room -- a room that was developed to honor our founder Mr. Peet and his contributions to specialty coffee.  As an employee and someone who was acquainted with him, I felt a great sense of pride that so much thought and detail went into this very special project.   The room evokes a feeling of warmth, invitation and community, showcasing some of Mr. Peet’s personal effects, tools of the coffee & tea trade and special photos, articles and messages amassed throughout our 43-year history.

As I stood quietly in the room, I couldn’t help but observe customers taking in every detail.  Nostalgia filled the air.  Memories old and new shared.  Longtime friends and generations of families gathered.  I thought to myself, “This is our Peet’s family.”

Customers were delighted and proud of their Peet’s but even more proud of the room that pays tribute to a man so many of them came to know and admire.  “It is only fitting,” many shared.

Reflecting on the morning, I truly appreciated hearing many stories shared by customers about the moment they each came upon Mr. Peet’s store and roastery on the corner of Vine and Walnut.  I was reminded of one the last conversations I had with Mr. Peet before he passed away.  I asked him about Vine Street and the day he opened the doors.  “I remember it as if it were yesterday,” he told me.  “I had a simple idea and wanted to open a shop in a community where there was curiosity of mind and an appreciation for something distinctive.  I didn’t realize though how fast it would take off!”   I chuckle at the thought of his comments because this “simple idea” basically revolutionized how we all think about and experience coffee.

I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to visit our Vine Street store and hope that you will have a similar experience.  Perhaps you will meet fellow Peetniks, learn a bit more about Mr. Peet’s contributions to specialty coffee, and have a new appreciation for the deep connection we share together through a cup of Peet’s – a connection that began in a store and coffee roastery at the corner of Vine and Walnut, in 1966.

Peet's Alameda Roasting Facility Gets LEED® Gold!

July 30, 2008 - Pat O'Dea, Peet's Coffee & Tea President & CEO

Today we gathered to celebrate the LEED® Gold Certification of our artisan roasting facility.  On hand were David Gottfried, founder and first president of the U.S. Green Building Council, the Mayor and other officials from the City of Alameda, and our partners who worked with us to bring our building to life. Together, we recognized this great accomplishment and unveiled our LEED Gold plaque which is now on permanent display at the main entrance.

This achievement encapsulates a three-year journey that started with our decision to build a new roasting facility from the ground up.  Our vision is to be the gold standard specialty coffee and tea brand available to world.  And one of our most important values is to positively contribute to the communities and environment where we operate locally and globally. This led us to take a LEED-certified approach to the design and construction of our roasting facility.  As a result, the roasting facility is truly a physical manifestation of our vision and our values.

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized our effort to live our values in the building of the facility by awarding us the Gold Level LEED Certification., This makes our roasting plant the first LEED Gold certified commercial building in the city of Alameda and the very first LEED certified coffee roasting facility in the United States.

What is LEED?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria.  The six major environmental categories of review include:  Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design.  Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category.  LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities.

Why is this important?
Buildings in the U.S. use 40% of U.S. energy which means 10% of global energy.  There is a huge opportunity to curb the path of environmental degradation significantly by changing the way we build and operate buildings. In addition, it is simply "smart" design that saves money, energy, water, waste and makes for a nice work environment. 

Since many people, including builders and architects, have a limited understanding of what sustainable design and construction means, the LEED system provides a common platform for everyone. Having well known, respected companies like Peet’s involved with LEED is paramount to showing the public that green can be accomplished economically – even in a roasting facility!

Below are just some of the areas where points were achieved resulting in our Gold Certification:

• Dedicated parking for low emissions vehicles and car pools
• Located close to mass transit – Ferry, Bart, AC Transit bus shuttle bus
• Bike racks, showers and locker rooms for Peetniks
• 100% storm water runoff thru bio-swales and not directly into storm sewers or the bay
• Water efficient landscaping using 87% less water than base case
• Used recycled materials in landscape including mulch, cocoa husks, coffee chaff and bark
• 40% less water use in plant using low flow shower and faucet heads, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals
• Over 20% of materials used in construction from local and regional sources
• Diverted over 75% of construction waste from landfill; Most of the form lumber was reused from previous jobs or reused on subsequent jobs
• Energy efficient lighting and controls saving 40% energy vs. traditional lighting
• Total energy savings beat California Title 24 by 32%
• Use of sky lights and side lighting for natural light
• Utilized heat exchanger technology to recover and reuse heat generated in roasting process resulting in 40% less natural gas used. We are the only roasting plant in North America with this technology
• Carpet, paint, office furniture used in office areas were low/no emitting VOC LEED approved materials
• High efficiency HVAC systems and latest refrigerant technology for energy efficiency and to minimize environmental impact

Our roasting facility is an expression of our vision, mission and values. It has been designed to produce the highest quality coffee and teas in the world, and do so in away that positively contributes to the local community. We are honored to receive this extraordinary recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council, and to be the only LEED certified Gold roasting facility in the U.S. This is something our entire Peet’s family of employees and customers can take great pride in.

Last but not least, this project would not have been possible without the dedication and tireless leadership of Jim Grimes, our vice president operations and his team, including Bob Pires, and Raymond Sohnlein. We are also eternally grateful to all of the people and organizations that came together with us in a team effort to make this possible:

• SRM Associates
• FME Architecture & Design
• JM O'Neill Construction
• April Phillips Design Works
• SEI Structural Engineers
• Kier & Wright
• Ibsen/Sentry Architecture & Design
• KEMA Green
• City and County of Alameda
• PG&E

Pat O’Dea    

To learn more about LEED, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED
Take our artisan roastery tour.  Visit http://tour.peets.com

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

FOR THE LOVE OF PEET’S

Peet’s Coffee & Tea Gives Away 20 Million Coffee Beans in 30 Days
“Why I Love Peet’s” Contest to Award Year’s Supply of Coffee To Up To 240 Passionate Winners

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – March 10, 2008 – Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc., (NASDAQ: PEET), the premier specialty coffee and tea company in the U.S.,  today announced the launch of the “Why I Love Peet’s” contest that will give a voice to Peet’s loyal customers, and share as many as 20 million of its hand-roasted coffee beans with contest winners.   

The “Why I Love Peet’s” contest is part of the company’s Founder’s Day activities honoring Alfred Peet, known as the grandfather of specialty coffee, who started Peet’s Coffee & Tea in 1966 with his distinctive style of hand crafted, deep roasted coffee. Forty-two years later, Mr. Peet’s roasting style and uncompromising commitment to freshness remain the hallmarks of the Peet’s brand. 

“Every day, we receive letters from our customers around the world expressing their deep connection to Peet’s and their great pride in sharing their love of Peet’s with others,” said Chris Lansing, Chief Marketing Officer, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc. “It is through this sharing of Peet’s that we have also been fortunate to introduce new customers to our distinctive coffees and teas and is the foundation by which we have built our very loyal customer following for the last 42 years.   This contest is a fun way to celebrate with our customers and enable them to share their personal Peet’s stories with the greater Peet’s community.”

To enter, customers should visit Peet’s website at www.peets.com/contest between March 10 and April 6 to share their stories about why they love Peet’s with up to five friends or family members.  Each week during the contest, 10 winners will be selected based on the originality, creativity and persuasiveness of their stories.  The winners and up to five friends will win free coffee beans for a year: a comparative tasting of Peet’s coffee bean selections with two pounds of beans delivered to each winner and up to five friends each month for 12 months.

Peet’s routinely receives stories from its loyal and passionate customers about their love for Peet’s and their desire to share Peet’s coffee with others, including the following examples:

• “I will always have your coffee in my home and it will always be my number one choice to drink and to share with others.” From a customer who has been enjoying the same aroma, taste and feeling of Peet’s for more than 20 years, from California to Okinawa to Dubai.

• “From the moment I walked in to Peet’s, I knew that this was the coffee shop for me – caring, wonderful service and the best coffee I ever sipped. . . I live [on the East Coast] now and my coffee shipment keeps me connected with my Peet’s family. I turn others onto it all the time.”  A customer describes his discovery of Peet’s quality and his journey to Peetnik status.

• “A WHOLE SHELF FILLED WITH PEET’S…I thought, this can’t be real…Well, once again my life has been made whole all because of the coffee gods at Peet’s.  Thanks Peet’s, you perfect coffee roasting people you.”  Feedback from a trucker who used to have to buy his Peet’s 10 bags at a time on his California stops and can now buy it at his grocery store in Columbus, OH.

Specific rules and guidelines for the “Why I Love Peet’s” contest are available in detail on the Peet’s website.

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.