Courtesy Peet’s

Courtesy Peet’s

Ketchup. Potato chips. Chewing gum. Coffee. “These are products that everyone can relate to, that people understand,” says Casey Keller (MBA 1989), a longtime executive in consumer-packaged goods with stints at Procter & Gamble, HJ Heinz, and Motorola. In August 2018, Keller left his position as global president of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company to become CEO of Peet’s Coffee; in January, he was named CEO of JDE Peet’s, a merger that added a portfolio of coffee and tea brands represented in more than 140 countries. “It’s fun to be in a business where pretty much everyone has experienced what you’re working on,” he says. “So many people have a passion for and a ritual around coffee.”

Keller was already a “Peetnik” when he joined the company. Initially a Folgers guy, he was introduced to a different sort of coffee as CEO of Heinz Italy. “After three years of enjoying incredible coffee in the cafés of Milan, I came back to the United States and began looking around, trying to figure out what I was going to drink,” he says. “And a friend of mine told me about Peet’s.” Known for its flavorful roasts, responsibly sourced from growers around the globe, Peet’s prides itself on a handcrafted approach to coffee beverages that highlight natural flavors.

Before coming to HBS, Keller served four years in the Navy; he cites teamwork as one of the greatest attractions of the work he did then and now. “I love collaborating on an actual product with other people—owning it together and figuring out how to improve it,” he says. “Working with a team to grow a great brand has always been a joy for me.”

Peet’s treat: Traditional Cappuccino (Trad Cap). “Six ounces, one shot of espresso, perfect crema, perfect temperature. That’s still my go-to, although I also love our Havana Cappuccino. It has a little condensed milk and a bit of cinnamon.”

Dream bean: “We have some specialty coffees that we get on rare occasions. One is called Red Mocha Haraaz, from Yemen—there’s a select quantity of that every year from a small group of growers.”

Résumé builder: “When I worked at Heinz, my team and I launched green ketchup. It didn’t survive as a product line, but it made a huge PR splash and helped grow our market share over three years, from 45 to 60 percent.”

Management method: “I’m a believer in situational leadership. I don’t approach businesses and teams with a playbook. Instead, I assess the situation by listening and learning what’s going on before implementing change.”

First job: Line worker at LaRosa’s Pizza in Cincinnati. “At the time, it was the highest-volume pizza operation in the world. I learned how to make pizzas very fast and rose to become a store manager during college.”

On deadline: “I was editor of a Navy magazine called Surface Warfare, and at HBS, I was publisher of the Harbus—we put it together on Friday nights while enjoying all kinds of food and beer.”

Serendipity: “I met my wife, [Donna Eplett (MBA 1989)], when we were summer interns at Pepsi-Cola in New York City. We started dating our second year at HBS, and it just blossomed from there.”

Bookmark: Strategy by B.H. Liddell Hart. “He recounts great battles and wars that were won by finding an adversary’s weaknesses, rather than making a frontal attack on their strengths. It contains a lot of wisdom that can be applied to business situations.”

Now streaming: Luther, a BBC detective series starring Idris Elba. “Luther is a complicated character with many problems, but he has an uncanny ability to think like his suspects and anticipate their moves.”

Best seller: Major Dickason’s, a dark-roast blend that sells 15 million pounds annually.

Next frontier: China. “Its coffee culture is nascent but growing rapidly. Peet’s has recently opened a dozen successful coffee bar locations and a roasting facility in Shanghai, with plans to develop more stores in other major cities.”

Peet’s in two words: Coffee and community. “During California’s Kincade Fire, we assembled a task force to support evacuees and deliver fresh coffee to firefighters and first responders. We believe in uplifting the people and the neighborhoods we serve.”

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