Say what you will about their current state of expansion and their froofy blended drinks: Alfred Peet is the reason we have Blue Bottle, Ritual, Intelligentsia, Ecco Café and all of the other players in the thriving independent coffee scene. He was the seminal figure in the revolution that has given the discerning palette a way out of the Folgers fog.
Express your condolences, share your memories at the blog Peet’s has set up in Alfred’s honor.
DofAv3 
Is this the mench behind Peet’s Coffe?
I will give a moments silence, a raised latte, and a tip for those who work fulfilling his vision.
Indeed, this is the man.
Too bad the company has gone a bit awry from his original vision. Perhaps they will take this time to look hard at what it is they are trying to accomplish as a company. As we have discussed many times, it is high time that they stop trying to compete with Starbucks and realize that they have the potential to be something special. Your Mac vs PC analogy was spot on.