Peet's Coffee & Tea Receives LEEDS Gold Status

Peet’s Coffee & Tea Receives LEEDS Gold Status

On July 30, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc., one of the U.S. premier specialty coffee companies announced that the company’s new artisan roastery had been awarded LEED Gold level status for Green Design. The roastery, located in Alameda, is the first LEED certified coffee roasting house in the United States, and the first LEED Gold certified building in Alameda.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and the certification is awarded by the United States Green Building Council to buildings that meet high standards for energy efficiency and sustainable design. The Gold level standard is second only to Platinum level in achievement. Peet’s took a LEED-certified approach to building the new facility beginning with the design and working through construction. This is in keeping, said company CEO Patrick O’Dea, with the commitment that Peet’s has always had to sustainable practices and environmental impact.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility is a hallmark of the best-known names in the specialty coffee business, where many corporations take their stewardship of the environment very seriously. It is also very important to those who make up a large share of the specialty coffee market and is evidenced by a commitment to sustainable coffee cultivation practices, low impact coffee cultivation, participation in Fair Trade initiatives and projects developed to protect and preserve the environment. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, for example, has partnered with paper producers to create paper cups and notions that are made of 100% post-consumer recycled materials.

Peet’s has taken their commitment to a new level with their newest roasting facility. The company committed to taking a whole-building approach to sustainability in five key areas: sustainable site development, saving water, energy efficiency, using environmentally friendly materials and high indoor environmental quality. Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, speaking at a small ceremony for the presentation of the award, said, “This facility is a showcase for high performance, energy efficient space and healthy employees.”

Among the LEED-worthy features of the new roastery are:

– Fitness room, lockers, showers, bike parking and an expansive lunch/break room for employees
– Excellent use of natural light
– The use of the latest lighting technology to reduce energy consumption by 40%
– Landscape and irrigation design that reduces water usage by more than 50%
– Heat recovery during roasting that reduces gas usage by over 85%
– Waste diversion of over 75% of materials to recycling throughout construction
– Preferential parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and bicycle storage
– close proximity to public transportation

Peet’s was founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet, who is widely regarded as the grandfather of the specialty coffee industry in the United States. The company carries on his commitment to strategically growing its business without compromising the extraordinary quality of its coffee or the environment.