The Coffee Visionary - by Jasper Houtman (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is the story of the life and work of Alfred Peet, the man behind the iconic West Coast coffee brand Peet's Coffee, and how he led the revolution of specialty coffee in the United States

Book Synopsis

"The coffee tells my story." --Alfred Peet

At a time when most Americans drank coffee percolated from canned grounds, the son of a coffee roaster from a small town in the Netherlands laid the foundation for specialty coffee in the United States. When Alfred Peet opened Peet's Coffee, Tea & Spices in Berkeley, California, in 1966, and started selling small batches of on-site, hand-roasted coffee beans, the renowned roastmaster had no way of knowing that he was brewing a coffee revolution and defining the coffee culture we know and love today.

Review Quotes

4.5/5 stars "This book tells us of the success of his undertaking through Peet's constant search for the world's best coffee beans . . . The book is beautifully designed . . ." --San Francisco Book Review

About the Author

Jasper Houtman is an editor for the Dutch financial daily Het Financieele Dagblad and has twenty-five years experience in writing for magazines and newspapers in the Netherlands. Traveling through Guatemala and Honduras in 2004, he became interested in coffee, which led to a fascination for the story of Alfred Peet, who is relatively unknown in his motherland, the Netherlands.