SUMMARY
Peet’s may be known for dark-roast Arabica, but many see it as just another coffee. In reality, it shows up in people’s quiet bookend moments—the last thought at night and the first in the morning.
WHAT KEPT IT INSPIRING
As someone who hates coffee with a burning passion, it was fascinating to discover why others love it so deeply.
RESEARCH METHODS
1
1:1 Interviews
Sat down with devoted coffee lovers who pass on sugary drinks—grabbed their honest reactions.
2
Secondary Market Research
Pulled key trends and competitor intel from Wiley, MRI Simmons and Mintel reports.
3
Retail Shelf Audit
Checked grocery aisles to spot where Peet’s cuts through the clutter.
4
Location Immersion
Visited Peet’s stores to experience its authentic vibe up close.
Peet's Challenge
Peet's pioneered real coffee but became lost in a crowded market of gimmicks.
I started with retail, but the real difference is the product—Peet’s roasts to order for unmatched freshness. The opportunity isn’t to change it, but to make that impossible to miss.
What makes Peet's different:
6-8 Weeks
2-3 Weeks
Average Roast Time for Packaged Coffee
Peet's Roast Time for Packaged Coffee
WHERE PEET'S STANDS
Peet’s sits on the shelf with something better—but you wouldn’t know it at a glance.
Peet's on bottom shelf
Coffee Retail Competitive Analysis
Insight
Coffee might be the most intimate relationship of your life.
For many, it’s the first thing they think about in the morning and the last thing before they fall asleep. Good coffee is always there to pick you up when you’re down, giving you a pep talk, or a moment of peace.
Drinking coffee is a really nice ritual when I’m working at home, especially. It’s just something that I get to do at the start of my day that gets me fully ready in the space that I’m in.
Coffee Lover 1
Having a cup of coffee that I can just keep refilling on my own is a nice treat for me. It keeps me occupied and it also keeps me focused on a lot of ways and it’s turned into a bit of a comfort object in a way.
Coffee Lover 2
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40% of consumers say personality matters when it comes to making a purchase.
Opportunity
Peet’s can claim the emotional space of a devoted daily companion in coffee—one who intuitively shows up at life’s bookends with quiet reliability, cutting through the gimmick-filled market with authentic care.
Strategy
Make Peet’s your everyday anchor​​
Peet's will be bringing the idea of their coffee as a steady, everyday presence to life through a consistent personality people can recognize—one that feels calm, reliable, and always there when you need it.
Meet Peet
He’s the embodiment of that feeling you get when you wrap your hands around your perfect cup of coffee: grounded, cared for, restored.
SOCIAL POSTS
We’ll introduce Peet on social as more than a brand—a presence that shows up when you need it most.
In everyday moments of low energy or lost focus, Peet appears right on time, building the idea that Peet isn’t just coffee—it’s there for you when it matters.
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ACTIVATION
We’ll introduce the Peet Mobile—a coffee truck that shows up where it’s needed most.
Driven by Peet himself, it brings fresh coffee directly to moments and places that need it most, turning everyday lows into something worth showing up for.
**Google Gemini was used to help generate this image.**
PRODUCT INNOVATION
To reinforce Peet’s commitment to freshness, we’ll bring that promise directly onto the packaging with a Peet’s Stamp of Approval—signaling to consumers that their coffee is truly fresh, while helping the brand stand out on the shelf.
What I Learned
This project showed how a character like Peet can bring the brand to life in a more human, relatable way. It pushed me to clearly define my strategy—showing how Peet can show up for people as reliably and consistently as its coffee does.