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tags: [] - coffee/history - coffee/business aliases: - Peet's Coffee and Tea - Peet's history created: 2026-05-10 updated: 2026-05-10

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Peet's Coffee History

Tags: #coffee/history #coffee/business Aliases: Peet's Coffee and Tea, Peet's history Related: Alfred Peet | Second Wave Coffee | Specialty Coffee MoC Status: 🌱 Stub

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Overview

Peet's Coffee & Tea was founded by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California, on 1 April 1966 as the first single-origin specialty coffee retailer in the United States. Peet's dark-roasted, freshly-sourced beans — inspired by the European coffeehouse tradition — directly influenced the founders of Starbucks and established the model for specialty coffee retail in the US, making it one of the most consequential businesses in the history of modern coffee culture.

Related Notes

• Alfred Peet
• Second Wave Coffee
• Starbucks Evolution
• Specialty Coffee MoC

References

• Peet's Coffee, Our Story

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Copyright © Matthew Clairmont 2026