Alfred Peet
Dutch-American entrepreneur who sparked the US specialty coffee revolution.
Alfred H. He is widely credited with starting the specialty coffee revolution in the United States, introducing custom roasting of top-quality beans at a time when most Americans drank coffee brewed from vacuum-packed cans.
- field
- Coffee roasting and retail
- nationality
- Dutch-American
- known_for
- Founding Peet's Coffee & Tea; mentoring Starbucks founders; starting the specialty coffee revolution in the US
Lore & Background
Peet was born in Alkmaar, Netherlands, where his father ran a small coffee roasting establishment before World War II. There he worked in the coffee importing industry.
Reader's Guide
Alfred Peet's significance lies in his role as the catalyst for the specialty coffee movement in the United States. At a time when American coffee was dominated by mass-produced, vacuum-packed cans, Peet introduced custom roasting of high-quality beans, creating a new standard for flavor and freshness. Peet's influence extended directly through the entrepreneurs he mentored. Most notably, he taught the founders of Starbucks, who carried his roasting techniques to Seattle.
Did You Know?
- Peet compared the low quality of American coffee to World War II 'rationed' coffee.
- Peet's first store at Walnut and Vine in Berkeley is considered the origin of the Gourmet Ghetto.
- After retiring, Peet moved to Ashland, Oregon, where he died at age 87.
More in Business Magnates & Tycoons 1-24
Elsewhere in the Business Magnates & Tycoons universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record