Alfred Peet was born and raised in Holland, and opened his first coffee shop in Berkeley, California in 1966. Regarded as the founder of specialty coffee, his style was revolutionary, emphasizing smaller batches, freshness, superior beans, and a strong, dark roast.
Peet's quickly grew in local popularity, and inspired a generation of coffee connoisseurs and businesses, most notably Starbucks. Peet's and Starbucks had a very close relationship in the early years, which included Starbucks sourcing its coffee beans from Peet's.
Peet's now operates nearly 200 retail locations -- mostly in California, but also a sprinkling throughout the country. The company's core values -- commitments to sustainability, quality, and freshness -- remain to this day. Peet's still roasts-to-order in small batches -- and since 2007, all Peet's coffee is roasted in their new Alameda, CA facility, the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified coffee roasting facility in the nation.