Coffee in United States in twentieth century

The large volume of coffee imports into the United States played an important role in expanding US-Latin American trade in the twentieth century. World War II increased US domination of the Latin American coffee trade by cutting off the important German market.

Historically, coffee was a low cost mass market beverage. This began to change in the 1960s when coffee stores began selling premium coffee beans as well as roasters and other related equipment.

One such retail store was Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Berkeley California. It was founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet, who sold coffee beans and equipment to many students from the nearby University of California.

They inspiring a new generation of small grassroots, batch roasters (as opposed to mass continuous roasting) and sparking the modern ‘specialty coffee’ movement exemplified by Starbucks Coffee founded in 1971 in Seattle.

Customers can purchase fresh roasted beans from a local coffee roster or buy coffee in one-way valve bags, which allow beans to de-gas without admitting oxygen.

Coffee consumption increased steadily between 1925 and 1945. Entering the 1960s, coffee was the most popular beverage consumed in the United States.

But coffee consumption fell by 26% between 1965 and 1987, a trend that continued through the late 1990s, when per capita consumption of both sweetened soft drinks and alcoholic beverages surpassed coffee.

As of 2010, 29 percent of Americans got their coffee at home, 25 percent at Starbucks, 16 percent at MacDonald’s, 11 percent at Dunkin’ Donuts, and 19 percent elsewhere (which includes everything from white tablecloth restaurants to gas stations).
Coffee in United States in twentieth century

Early History of Peet’s Coffee and Tea

Alfred Peet had grown up working in his family’s coffee business in the Netherlands. On April 1, 1966, he opened his now legendary store on the corner of Vine and Walnut in north Berkeley.

His shop was selling coffee beans and loose tea, and unknowingly started the gourmet coffee movement in America.

It was not an espresso bar or a café, but simply a place whose irresistible aroma beckoned everyone in the neighborhood.

Peet decided he would roast the coffee beans in his Berkeley, California. Peet bought premium coffee beans and roasted them the same way they did in the old country, and thus the gourmet coffee movement in the United States was quietly born.

Customers would come into the shop, and Peet would offer them a cup of coffee while they waited for their beans to be roasted.

Customers enjoying and talking about the coffee created a relaxed community atmosphere that soon proved contagious.

Peet’s also sells coffee and tea though home delivery which over time has become a significant part of it business. In 1979, Alfred sold Peet’s and in 1984 the new owner sold Peet’s to Starbucks.
Early History of Peet’s Coffee and Tea

Peet's Coffee & Tea

Alfred Peet had grown up working in his family’s coffee business in the Netherlands. Later he learned the tea trade in Indonesia. By the time he landed in California, he knew the best way to roast and brew both beverages.

After several years of living and working in the United States, he decided to roast his own coffee and sell it in his store, using money he had inherited when his father died.

In 1966 he invested in a roaster and decided to open his own shop selling coffee beans and loose tea at Walnut and Vine Streets in California.

Peet bought premium coffee beans and roasted them the same way they did in the old century, and this the gourmet coffee movement in the United States was quietly born.

The used of superior quality coffee beans and hand roasted them, gave the coffee its top quality flavor.

When customers came onto his Berkeley shop, Peet would offer them a fragrant cup of coffee while they waited for beans to be freshly roasted.

He chose Berkeley, where a collection of European-style shops and bistros serving fresh cheeses and breads, along with other gourmet delicacies, was beginning to gain popularity with consumers.

When he opened the door to his new shop, in Berkeley, he letting the rich scent of roasting coffee beans waft out to the sidewalk.

Some couldn’t resist. They came in to taste a cup of whatever was being offered.

His shop became a gathering place for coffee connoisseurs’, his business was frequented by University of California-Berkeley, faculty, students, intellectuals and writers.

Throughout his history, Peet’s stores have been the hub of the business. This is where most people discover Peet’s unique coffee and tea products for the first time.

Because Peet sold his coffee with passionate authority, he female customers began to take it home and bring their husbands back the next weekend.

Peet’s retail stores serve a great cup of coffee, but the company mission to roast and sell ‘the best coffee beans on the planet’. As with the more solid food of California Cuisine, freshness is paramount. Peet’s orders beans for roasting up to five times a week, and coffee not sold within two weeks is donated to local charities.

Peet retired in 1983.

Peet’s also sells coffee and tea through hand delivery which over time has become a significant part of its business.

In 2001, Peet’s became a public company trading in the NASDAQ.
Peet's Coffee & Tea