OT: now this is bad: rumor Starbucks to buy out Peet's

[eddief]

if you live where i do...this is really BAD news.

[zetroc]

Source? Doesn't bode well for my area, either. ;)

[Erik.Lazdins]

I read about this and as a Peet's customer am concerned.

[Steve in SLO]

Not fully understanding the concern.
Are you worried Starbucks would homogenize, or dilute the Peets brand? Peets represents a real and viable second revenue stream with good brand recognition and loyal customers, so 'de-Peeting' it wouldn't seem prudent. Sharing supply and distribution costs isn't so bad, as long as Starbucks keeps the brand identity and character alive.

[TMB]

Neither of them make a decent cup of coffee, so .......

[eddief]

puts the most hair on ones chest. Starbucks sells excellent chicken salad sandwiches. one more time when i hope socalsteve knows his sh*t.

[dave thompson]

I doubt that Starbucks will absorb/kill/change Peet's. I think they will keep it as a standalone brand like they did when they bought Seattle's Best Coffee in 2003. Howard Shultz is a very smart guy, cares a great deal about coffee and the people that work for him. I've met him on more than several occasions and was impressed by his sincerity and good humor.

Whether you like Starbucks coffee or not, you have to give them a great deal of credit for bringing high-quality, excellent coffee to the American public's conscience, which also has allowed many small independent roasters, coffee shops and espresso stands to be born and flourish.

[JeremyS]

I should put this in the other thread about why you love where you live but to sf/bay area folks (and, at this point, anyone in a city) there's no reason to care.

We've got:
De La Paz
Bicycle Coffee
Trouble Coffee
Four Barrel
Blue Bottle - the next starbux
Philz - gross but at least independent
Flying Goat

and like 10 more roasteries I don't even remember now. All produce a better coffee than any of the chains.

Plus, thanks to starbucks there's a ton of independent cafes in just about every town.

I know that all runs counter to the point of the thread, but I feel like Starbucks buying Peets is kind of like Trek buying Marin or Breezer.

[Ken Robb]

I think Brother Thompson has it right. Until Starbuck's went national I had a very tough time finding good coffee almost anywhere. In big cities if you had local knowledge you could find a decent cup but you might have to travel to get it.

Most of the local favorites we may enjoy today probably would never have opened if Starbuck's hadn't created an appreciation for something better than Maxwell House in the general populace.

I still like the stuff I make at home better but Leslie prefers Starbuck's---that is the only failure of taste and discernment she has ever shown. :)

[TMB]

I think Brother Thompson has it right. Until Starbuck's went national I had a very tough time finding good coffee almost anywhere. In big cities if you had local knowledge you could find a decent cup but you might have to travel to get it.

Most of the local favorites we may enjoy today probably would never have opened if Starbuck's hadn't created an appreciation for something better than Maxwell House in the general populace.

I still like the stuff I make at home better but Leslie prefers Starbuck's---that is the only failure of taste and discernment she has ever shown. :)


Well ..........

[Fixed]

i drink tea
cheers

[130R]

http://nowhereland.it/blog/fp-content/images/fuuuuuuuuu.jpg

[avalonracing]

I hope I'm not alone in thinking that most Charbuck's coffee tastes burnt and that when you walk out of a Charbuck's that you've been in for more than 10 minutes you smell like you've been burned too.

[dave thompson]

When I lived in Italy, I think existed on espresso and cappuccinos. Starbucks suits me just fine, I like the strong smokey overtones.

[John H.]

Already happened.
Advanced Sports International owns Fuji, Kestrel, Oval, Terry, SE bikes, also owns Breezer-

I should put this in the other thread about why you love where you live but to sf/bay area folks (and, at this point, anyone in a city) there's no reason to care.

We've got:
De La Paz
Bicycle Coffee
Trouble Coffee
Four Barrel
Blue Bottle - the next starbux
Philz - gross but at least independent
Flying Goat

and like 10 more roasteries I don't even remember now. All produce a better coffee than any of the chains.

Plus, thanks to starbucks there's a ton of independent cafes in just about every town.

I know that all runs counter to the point of the thread, but I feel like Starbucks buying Peets is kind of like Trek buying Marin or Breezer.

[rwsaunders]

It's not like Peet's is a Mom and Pop operation...they're publicly traded with $300MM in sales or something like that. Starbucks is after them for the grocery store distribution network that Kraft promised, but didn't deliver.

[whitecda]

I hope I'm not alone in thinking that most Charbuck's coffee tastes burnt and that when you walk out of a Charbuck's that you've been in for more than 10 minutes you smell like you've been burned too.

This is my problem with the big S in a nutshell. Over-roasting. They may start out with the best beans in the world (?), but by the time they cook them, you are tasting the roast, NOT the bean. Don't get me wrong, if you like that flavor then French Roast/Dark roast is great. You are tasting the dark, almost burnt, roast regardless of what bean is used.

But in a "regular" cuppa, then I (as an ex-coffee shop owner) like to taste the variation in the bean varieties and blends. But because of the heavy roast applied (apparently) to all beans there, you can't taste the very pleasant flavor nuances between say, a Columbia and Kenya, or Mexican vs Sumatra. It doesn't have to be that way.... I'd rather a diet Coke than S.

[JeremyS]

This is my problem with the big S in a nutshell. Over-roasting. They may start out with the best beans in the world (?), but by the time they cook them, you are tasting the roast, NOT the bean. Don't get me wrong, if you like that flavor then French Roast/Dark roast is great. You are tasting the dark, almost burnt, roast regardless of what bean is used.

But in a "regular" cuppa, then I (as an ex-coffee shop owner) like to taste the variation in the bean varieties and blends. But because of the heavy roast applied (apparently) to all beans there, you can't taste the very pleasant flavor nuances between say, a Columbia and Kenya, or Mexican vs Sumatra. It doesn't have to be that way.... I'd rather a diet Coke than S.


This is why I love 4 Barrel the most out of our local roasteries. Jeremy (not me), the owner, is really good at coaxing out the differences in beans.

I point most sbux lovers at Blue Bottle here, they tend to go for smooth blends over strong varietals. Peets drinkers, go to Philz, overroasted and bitter just like Peets.

Then again, I keep a pour over cone at my office and a hand grinder, so I'm a little more obsessive than most.

[torquer]

I only go to Starbucks at their Thruway reststop locations for their sandwiches and baked goods, so I'm no expert (Dunkin Donuts' coffee is fine with me), but as was pointed out, their takeover of SBC (the wife's favorite when we visited Seattle, and she's the coffee feinschmecker) didn't seem to diminish that brand much.

Another, perhaps imperfect analogy: McDonalds controlled Chipotle and Pret A Manger casual restaurant chains during the past decade. In contrast to their fast & fried gestalt, which they saw as peaking, they emphasized fresh and wholesome, and sold the food at higher prices than under the golden arches. Seems to have worked for a while, but then they sold both chains, maybe because the price was right. I doubt there was much competition with the mother brand. With coffee chains, that may not be the case.

[Ozz]

I doubt that Starbucks will absorb/kill/change Peet's. I think they will keep it as a standalone brand like they did when they bought Seattle's Best Coffee in 2003. Howard Shultz is a very smart guy, cares a great deal about coffee and the people that work for him. I've met him on more than several occasions and was impressed by his sincerity and good humor.....
+1 on Starbucks...as much as people bash Starbucks, Ken Robb has it right in that they created the niche (and the demand) that all other gourmet coffee brands enjoy.

-1 on Howard Schultz....he's a putz for selling the Sonics when his SBUX shares dropped in value....he got nervous and blinked to some carpetbagger from OKC. ;)

:beer: