Ask an Expert: Patrick Main
We love sourcing, roasting, smelling, tasting, crafting, and drinking coffee. Particularly Coffee People like Patrick Main, Senior Manager, Peet’s R&D Beverage Innovation.
Why/how did you get into the industry?
I got into the coffee industry by being a barista. I’m very proud of the fact that I started my Peet’s career as a barista. It informs everything I do.
How did you get into R&D?
When I started at Peet’s we were tiny, tiny, tiny, and everyone did everything. I became responsible for beverage quality and making sure that we had consistency from location to location. At some point Jerry Baldwin said, “Hey, we should have some signature beverages of our own. Want to do it?” And that’s how I started developing beverages. It was really that simple. That was a long time ago. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I think that we’ve also come up with a lot of really cool stuff.
What aspect of Peet’s do you think people don’t know about, but should?
That we’re kind of big and also … kind of small. I started as a barista, a lot of people that I work with also started as baristas—right up into leadership. We literally feel like we grew up together here, and so when we talk about dedication to craft, we’re not people that went to school to learn to talk about craft. We live craft. The people I work with are ridiculously dedicated to their work. We work hard. We have a lot of fun. We get along really, really well which is so helpful when we are collaborating. Collaborating is fun, and we laugh a lot, and then we get serious, and things happen.
How do you recognize a fellow expert/fan/nerd?
Okay, so that’s easy. That’s really easy. I can tell them by the way they approach a cup of coffee. My fellow nerds don’t just pick up a cup of coffee and start drinking it. They stick their nose in there, they feel the steam on their face if it’s hot, they get IN it before they get in it, right? When I pick up a cup of coffee, the olfactory is so important to me that it’s just reflex. I pick up a cup of coffee, I stick my nose above it, and I take a moment with that cup of coffee before I take a sip. I approach every single cup of coffee that way, whether it’s here or anywhere. And that’s something that I see with my coffee friends.
What's your favorite aspect of how the R&D team approach new products
This R&D team approach new products with enthusiasm and joy. We start new projects with a real openness. We really try to blue sky things and not get immediately tied up in logistics, or “Well, here’s all the reasons why this won’t work.” We try to imagine. And then reality hits, and we try to figure out how to make things happen in the real world. But starting with openness is something that this team is really good at.
We know it’s hard, but if you had to pick a favorite new product or beverage from Peet’s, what would it be?
I am really excited about the new Ultra Coffee. It’s because I love products that democratize coffee, that make coffee simple and easy while tasting really great. So, not everyone has espresso machine at home. They’re expensive, they can be messy, they’re awesome if that’s something you can have, but for a lot of people, that’s a high hurdle. Whereas getting a bottle of Ultra Coffee, which is just a strong, gentle extraction of our Espresso Forte Blend, means that you can be your own barista at home. To me it is an invitation to coffee drinkers at home to be creative, to play with their coffee the way I feel like I’ve been playing with coffee.
What are you drinking right now?
Well, I’ve been playing with Ultra Coffee at home, as well. I have a bottle in my refrigerator, and the other day I was working from home I had a bunch of meetings I was feeling a bit peckish. “What do I have here at home?” I had tahini paste, pistachio milk, Ultra Coffee, and a little bit of maple syrup. I threw it all in a blender with some ice and it was so good.