Peet’s Coffee pledges $250,000 to UC Davis

Peet’s Coffee has pledged USD $250,000 to the University of California, Davis to fund the Peet’s Coffee Pilot Roastery, which will be located in a first-of-its-kind Coffee Center at UC Davis. The pioneering center and pilot roastery will be devoted to post-harvest coffee research and engineering, an underrepresented field, and aims to be the leader in coffee science.

“With this gift, we are firmly following in Alfred Peet’s footsteps and maintaining his belief in mentorship,” said Doug Welsh, vice president for Coffee, Peet’s Coffee, Emeryville, Calif. “By joining forces with UC Davis on the innovative Coffee Center and Peet’s Coffee Pilot Roastery, Peet’s and other partners will foster the next generation of coffee experts, encouraging unique research paths and roasting approaches that will have market-ready application and industry-wide influence.”

Supporting UC Davis in establishing the Coffee Center and Peet’s Coffee Pilot Roastery is in keeping with the legacy of the original craft coffee company, which has been hand-roasting coffee in small batches for 50 years. The founding gift will enable UC Davis to establish the roastery—an important element within this innovative academic center.

“The Coffee Center will generate unparalleled teaching, research and collaborative opportunities for our students, scientists and engineers, as well as for industry partners and visitors from around the world,” said Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Dean of the College of Engineering. “We are proud that Peet’s Coffee is one of our founding partners in this bold initiative. We fully expect the Center will do for coffee what the renowned UC Davis wine and brewing programs have accomplished on behalf of those industries.”

The founding gift from Peet’s Coffee will enable UC Davis to help renovate a 6,000-square-foot building for the new Coffee Center. The one-story center will be located on the north side of the UC Davis Arboretum, in close proximity to the campus winery, pilot brewery and food-processing facilities at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

When fully equipped, the Institute will include the Peet’s Coffee Pilot Roastery, an experimental green-coffee storage facility, a sensory analysis laboratory, advanced analytical labs, as well as meeting and office space.

Related content

Leave a reply

Tea & Coffee Trade Journal