Peet’s Coffee & Tea, the premier specialty coffee and tea company in the U.S., is coming to Grand Canyon University with multiple locations on campus.
Peet’s will move into the second floor of the Student Union, replacing Starbucks after the contract with that vendor was not renewed. Another Peet’s location is planned for GCU Arena in the concession area of the first floor.
“We are excited about making Peet’s our coffee provider with multiple locations on campus and to offer students and employees lower prices — about 10 percent less, on average,” said Kristen Fraley, GCU's food services manager. “Multiple locations mean shorter lines and the ability to grab coffee at convenient locations across our growing campus.”
Both GCU locations are expected to open Monday, Aug. 25, for the first day of classes. The Student Union location initially will offer brewed coffee and tea while the space is being renovated, and is expected to be full-service by Monday, Sept. 8. The Arena location will carry the majority of Peet’s hand-crafted beverages, including hand-roasted coffee, espresso, tea and specialty blended drinks. Between now and Monday, employees and students can stop by any of the Simply to Go stores on campus or the first floor of the Student Union for their coffee needs.
The new GCU outlets are part of a growing expansion effort in Arizona for Peet’s, which has 228 retail stores and 130 licensed locations in 33 states. In Arizona, Peet’s has partnered with Maricopa Community Colleges for outlets on all of its campuses, replaced two Starbucks locations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and has additional locations at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale and in several Banner Health hospitals.
Peet’s also has locations at more than 100 universities across the U.S., including Yale, Stanford, USC, Pepperdine, Villanova, Boston College and UC Berkeley.
In a survey by The Huffington Post, Peet’s was named America’s best coffee chain, beating Tim Hortons in Round 1, Dunkin’ Donuts in Round 2 and Starbucks in the championship round (with 84 percent of the vote).
What makes Peet’s that popular?
The company has longstanding relationships with its growers throughout the world and offers them training and above Fair Trade Certified prices to maintain superior quality. Its roasting plant in Alameda, Calif., is the nation’s only LEED® Gold-certified plant. To ensure freshness and a rich, distinctive cup, Peet’s roasts its coffee to order in small batches and ships it the same day.
“Any coffee bean brewed or sold at our stores was roasted in the last three weeks,” the company stated. “We roast by hand because computers can’t see, smell and hear the qualities of perfect coffee.”
Peet’s Coffee & Tea was founded in Berkeley, Calif., in 1966 by Alfred Peet, an early tea authority who later became recognized as the grandfather of specialty coffee in the U.S. The Dutch-inspired, gourmet blend of coffee had a devoted following of fanatics called “Peetniks.” Peet’s influence continued to grow as it inspired a new generation of coffee entrepreneurs, including the founders of Starbucks.
For more information or to check out Peet’s menu, visit www.peets.com.
