Title: Peet's Coffee: 40 Years And Still Going Strong Word Count: 598 Summary: A "novelty shop" might be the best way to describe Peet's Coffee and Tea as they celebrate 40 years of coffee excellence and commitment to their craft. Peet's Coffee and Tea is a genuine icon in the coffee industry that revolutionized the way on how coffee should be enjoyed. When and where Peet's began… The first Peet's Coffee and Tea was built in 1966 at Berkeley, California, specifically at the corner of Vine and Walnut, a few blocks away from the University of Calif... Keywords: Article Body: A "novelty shop" might be the best way to describe Peet's Coffee and Tea as they celebrate 40 years of coffee excellence and commitment to their craft. Peet's Coffee and Tea is a genuine icon in the coffee industry that revolutionized the way on how coffee should be enjoyed. When and where Peet's began… The first Peet's Coffee and Tea was built in 1966 at Berkeley, California, specifically at the corner of Vine and Walnut, a few blocks away from the University of California. The founded, Alfred Peet, was raised in Alkmaar, Holland where his family earned a living in the coffee and tea business. After World War II, Alfred Peet worked in tea trade in Indonesia. When he was 35 years old, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, the place where he began his own coffee and tea business- a craft he learned from his family. Peet's progression… After the first opening of Peet's Coffee and Tea store in Berkeley, Peet continued to improve the quality of the coffee by experimenting with different types of beans. Roasting and blending, two vital components of a perfect cup of coffee, are perfected in the way patrons would love and enjoy. This extra effort promised a better future on Peet's as more and more people enjoyed Peet's cups of coffee. This success is apparent in the first Peet's stores where people who have been Peet's lovers ever since the beginning continue to start their day with a cup of aromatic coffee at Peet's. All about Peet's coffee… There are two well-known commercially available types of coffee: Arabica and Robusta. All Peet's coffees are made from pure Arabica beans. Arabica beans differ from one another depending on the climate where they are grown. Factors such as soil type, weather, altitude, and processing affect the quality and taste of each Arabica coffee. At Peet's, only the highest quality coffee beans are processed to create the best tasting cup of Peet's coffee. The competition… Peet's Coffee and Tea is known as more of a coffee and tea retailer than a coffee bar. Their reputation may be the reason why Peet's continues to focus not on store expansion but on the quality of the coffee it serves. This is Peet's main difference to Starbucks, its primary competition. While Starbucks focuses more on the bringing the coffee to almost every part of the world, Peet's maintains its store where it began with few stores outside the city. This is not a bad idea at all. Even though Starbucks generates income several times more than Peet's, Peet's continues to hold its ground in the area where Starbucks may took a while to enter- costumer loyalty, legacy, and tradition. In other words, Peet's Coffee and Tea, although very far behind in terms of revenue compared with Starbucks, is still able to score some points of areas that do not involve money. Peet's Coffee and Tea locations… Peet's currently boasts a total of 112 stores in the United States. Most can be found in California (96 stores) where the company holds its strongest ground. The next state with the largest number of Peet's Coffee and Tea stores is Washington with eight stores, followed by Massachusetts and Oregon with six and five, respectively. Illinois has two Peet's Coffee and Tea stores while the state of Colorado has one. Meanwhile, Peet's coffee is also sold at several grocery stores across the United States. Mail order is another method of getting the taste of Peet's coffee. Peet's coffee is also sold in restaurants, office, gourmet food stores, the Internet, and the company's official website.