Alfred Peet, 1920-2007

Peet’s Coffee founder Alfred Peet died earlier this week (Wednesday) in Oregon.

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.

All my friends know that Peet’s is what I go for. (Check out the “About” section in the footer below!) Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep at night after coming back from Asia.  Not only do my taste buds love their coffee, but because I love the bay area so much, I really dig local companies and products (like my Timbuk2 bags and Scharffen Berger Chocolate, which has since been bought out by Hershey’s).

Recently, Jaime has introduced me to another exclusively San Francisco coffee company called Martha & Bros. I’m just waiting for them to open more locations closer to my neighborhood.

Thank you for your work, Mr. Peet. Coffee, dark chocolate, and something to carry them in. That’s all I need for life.