ABP Hails New `Peet's Coffee' in Ceremony

Two suit-clad executives spooned, slurped, swished and spat large amounts of steamy black brew in apparent satisfaction and enjoyment in a ceremony yesterday to mark Au Bon Pain's selection of a new flagship coffee.

The chief executives of both Peet's Coffee and Au Bon Pain (ABP) held the "live coffee cupping session" at the Harvard Square eatery in an effort to encourage customers to accept their move from Coffee Connection coffee to the new brand, said ABP's chief executive Ron Shaich.

Although the change may not affect the coffee consumer, the move is significant for ABP, a chain which serves more than 100,000 cups of coffee each day, said Ellen Carno, the restaurant's director of public affairs.

Previously, ABP served Coffee Connection coffee through an arrangement with the Starbucks Company. But a split between Coffee Connection and Starbucks led ABP to begin a nationwide search for a new coffee, Carno said.

"Starbucks has been a very good partner in the transition," she said. "And all prices will remain the same."

Peet's Coffee was established in Berkeley, CA in 1966 and since then has developed a loyal following of coffee critics, called "Peetniks," in Northern California.

ABP's new choice has been acclaimed by Travel and Leisure magazine as "the best cup of coffee in the country," and the coffee has already been the subject of "great comments from the customers," said Amy T. Moore, a public relations representative for ABP.

With an extensive selection of designer coffees, Peet's prides itself "on selecting and roasting the finest coffees available" said Peet's Chief Executive Officer Jerry Baldwin, who also asserts that Peet's "unique style is a good compliment to Au Bon Pain's style."

For Peet's, "coffee roasting is a craft or a discipline rather than a science or art," Baldwin said. "It's a way of life."