Peet’s Coffee Announces Social Responsibility Initiative

EMERYVILLE, California—January 24, 2017—Peet’s Coffee® today announced its People & Planet™ effort, an initiative featuring curated coffees that highlight the brand’s decades long heritage of caring for farmer communities at origin and for the environment. By combining under one umbrella a number of craft coffees that deliver social and environmental benefits, Peet’s aims to educate and empower consumers to make more impactful choices about coffee consumption.  

“In establishing People & Planet, we are not only able to showcase and expand the reach of some of our favorite coffees, but we are also better positioned to share the stories of our long-standing social responsibility efforts,” said Doug Welsh, VP of Coffee and Roastmaster, Peet’s Coffee. “The coffees included as part of the initiative underscore important components of the journey we are on to ensure, in equal measure, that we are supporting our farmers and the environment while also providing remarkable quality coffees.”  

How it Works: People & Planet Focus  

The focus of People & Planet—Direct Trade, Farmer Assistance, and Certification—reflect a mission that compels the company to invest in programs that are sustainable and promote the well-being of coffee farmers.  

• Direct Trade—Personal relationships with farmers where Peet’s negotiates prices directly and collaborates with these suppliers on projects that support the people, communities, and natural environment surrounding their farms.  
• Farmer Assistance—Training for coffee farmers in agronomy and business skills which aims to help them improve product quality, obtain higher crop yields, and secure premium prices.  
• Certification—Coffees that are evaluated against social, environmental, and economic standards during production and processing. Peet’s focuses on sourcing coffees that carry USDA Organic, Fair Trade™, and Rainforest Alliance™ certifications.  

Blends that Honor Decades of Dedication to People & Planet People & Planet kicks off a rolling series of craft coffees that will be available through Peet’s coffee bar, grocery, wholesale, and online channels. The following, on sale now, are just some of the offerings from the line:  

• Uzuri African Blend: a Farmer Assistance dark roast from East Africa with notes of orange blossom, black cherry, and a silky-smooth body  
• Guatemala San Sebastián: a Direct Trade dark roast from the Antigua Valley of Guatemala with hints of bittersweet chocolate and elegant acidity  
• Organic French Roast: new to Peet’s, a USDA Organic dark roast including coffees from Guatemala and Colombia that is intensely bold and smooth  

“We are proud of People & Planet and are excited to offer an accessible platform whereby consumers may more easily educate themselves about our products and our values when selecting their daily coffee” said Dave Burwick, CEO, Peet’s Coffee.  

People & Planet is designed to bring to the forefront craft coffees that have programmatic ties to farmers and their communities, such as Uzuri African Blend, which supports eight cooperatives in Ethiopia through farmer training. The training results in higher quality coffees, and the income the farmers earn from the sale of this coffee is helping fund the construction of schools, installation of power lines, and other community investments.  

With each purchase of Guatemala San Sebastián, Peet’s donates to the local education system in the Antigua Valley, as well as to a clinic that provides basic medical care for hundreds of workers and their family members at no cost. And with Organic French Roast, the company sources coffee grown and processed according to USDA rules and regulations that promote environmental protection and conservation.  

Year Long Pipeline for Purpose Driven Initiative  

Additional People & Planet craft coffees will be announced throughout the year, as well as events that invite consumers to engage with Peet’s around this purpose driven initiative.  

Find more information at peets.com/peopleandplanet. To join the People & Planet conversation, please feel free to use #PeopleAndPlanet on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.