EMERYVILLE Calif. Alfred Peet, founder of Peet’s Coffee & Tea and a catalyst for the premium-coffee boom of the past two decades, died at his home in Ashland, Ore., on Aug. 29 at age 87. The cause of death was reportedly cancer.
The European-born Peet introduced many residents of Berkeley, Calif., to premium and specialty coffees when he opened the original Peet's outlet there in 1966. Virtually all of the coffee served in the United States at the time was made from robusta beans, which are generally seen today as being of lower quality than other beans. Peet used arabica coffee, which could be roasted for a longer time and hence delivered a more robust taste.
Among the fans of his brews were the founders of Starbucks, who unabashedly studied Peet's roasting style and coffee selection before launching their brand. They even featured Peet's coffees early in the concept's rollout.
Peet was less ambitious than Starbucks in his business plans. Still, by the time Peet retired in 1983, Peet's Coffee & Tea was a national coffeehouse chain with locations across the country. Even after retirement, Peet continued to serve as a coffee consultant.
Peet's Coffee & Tea operated 136 stores in six states at the end of fiscal 2006.