paula leduc

Peet s Coffee & Tea has been roasting fresh coffee by hand every day since 1966. The company was founded in Berkeley, Calif., on the corner of Walnut and Vine where every morning customers would gather for their daily coffee and conversation. These loyal customers were dubbed Peetniks, after the word beatnik, and eventually had T-shirts printed to memorialize their affiliation with Peet s. Today, the company continues to brew and roast quality coffee, but sells it in a variety of new ways. It maintains more than 100 coffee shops including its original Berkeley location throughout California, Chicago, Boston, Portland, Ore., Seattle and Denver. Peetniks can also get their fix at grocery stores or through online and mail-order programs. The company s roasting facility is in Emeryville, Calif., just a few miles from the original location.