Who is Major Dickason, and why is there a coffee named after him?

Coffee is a companionable beverage. It lends itself to social discourse, collaborative musing, and friendship. At Peet's, we've made a lot of friends at our stores over the past four decades. That's part of the pleasure of being in the coffee business.

One of our friends was especially passionate about coffee, and we recognized him as a fellow coffee fanatic when we named a blend after him.

In 1969, a twice-daily customer at our Vine Street store approached Alfred Peet with a blend he had been working on at home. New blends always fascinated Mr. Peet, and over several weeks, both expert and enthusiast tasted several variations on the theme until they arrived at a blend they both enjoyed. Agreeing that the blend was something special, Mr. Peet then introduced it to his customers.

The customer who collaborated with Mr. Peet was Key Dickason. After retiring from the Army as an officer, Key Dickason became a data process supervisor at Berkeley Unified School District. As thanks for helping to create this wonderful blend, Mr. Peet named the blend after Dickason, promoting him to the rank of Major as a further reward. Although Key Dickason died many years ago, we celebrate his memory with every cup.

Today, our Major Dickason's Blend combines five different types of beans from Latin America and the Pacific. Together, the coffees have earthy and nutty flavors and exhibit deep, full body.