HUDS May Switch to Peet's Coffee

When Peet's Coffee and Tea opened its first Cambridge branch earlier this year, the California chain known for its strong coffee and anti-Starbucks attitude turned some influential heads at Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS).

"We're all coffee junkies and we immediately recognized what wonderful coffee Peet's is," says Alixandra E. McNitt, HUDS assistant director for marketing and communications. "We went for a taste test--Peet's certainly has the quality."

So impressed by the chain were they that HUDS officials two weeks ago began an official trial period selling Pete's coffee--rather than Seattle's Best--in the Science Center's Greenhouse restaurant.

McNitt says HUDS will try to gauge students' reaction to using a more local brand during the three-month trial. The Peet's shop is about a block away from HUDS' Winthrop Street offices.

"When we used Seattle's Best, the coffee was shipped from Seattle," she says. "With a Peet's chain right around the corner from us, we thought this would be an opportunity for both Peet's and the Greenhouse to enjoy a mutual relationship."

And as a result of the change, the Greenhouse has replaced its Seattle's Best coffee machines and serving cups with Peet's materials and modified some of its offerings.

Unlike Seattle's Best, Peet's does not offer flavored coffee, instead featuring coffee from different countries such as Guatemala or Colombia.

It's coffee is also significantly more expensive than Seattle's Best, forcing HUDS to raise the price on some coffees by more than 20 cents. "For $1.25 you used to get this much coffee," says Greenhouse employee Amanda L. Hillman, pointing to a large cup. "Now you can only buy a small...but people have been saying the coffee is stronger."

But McNitt says HUDS is confident the switch will allow it to offer fresher, more tasty coffee.

"Peet's is absolute fanatical [about the freshness of its coffee]," she says. "They won't let us buy large quantities. They want us to purchase little quantities and receive shipments more often, so that the coffee is always fresh."

In fact, she says Peet's recommends that its coffee be sold between two and 14 days after roasting. By receiving shipments every week, the Greenhouse coffee will "fall within that window period," McNitt says.

Will the extra freshness and strength be enough to satisfy customers who have grown used to Seattle's Best over the past few years?

McNitt says once the 90-day trial period ends, HUDS will assess the brand's sales and customer satisfaction and then decide whether to make the switch a permanent one.

The word is still out on the new coffee.

"People either really like it or really dislike it," says the Greenhouse's Hillman.