R&D Sensory Intern

Peet's Coffee•Emeryville, CA

1d•$25•Onsite

About The Position

Our goal is to showcase why Peet’s is the unique and special place it is - and give students like you an opportunity to learn about our culture, operations, decision making processes, and day-to-day business. The program will be primarily project-based work and day-to-day shadowing/mentorship. The Interns will fill their weeks shadowing core members of the team to learn how their department functions and supports Peet’s business while focusing efforts on completing their project. The day-to-day activities will vary depending on which department you will support. We anticipate offering a variety of engagement activities including, but not limited to: Roasting Plant Tour, Coffee Tasting, Tea 101, Career Coaching, and Coffee Chat with Stuart Heflin – our President. These engagement activities are set to occur every other week. The connections you make here will be connections for life – and help you transition to the working world after graduation. We look forward to hosting you at Peet’s! Based in Peet’s Home Office in Emeryville, CA - we require all employees to work onsite 4 days per week.  This is a part-time, paid internship at $25.00/ hr and will require a ~30 hours/week commitment from June 8-August 7, 2026. Who We Are: From its birthplace in Berkeley, Peet’s started a revolution, single-handedly inspiring the craft coffee movement in the U.S. Now we are on an inspiring, award-winning journey from a beloved regional brand to becoming a national icon. At Peet’s, our love for the bean is strong. We are coffee for coffee people. We are the champions of coffee quality, craft, and culture--- and a leader in sustainability. We are on a mission not only to make better coffee, but to make coffee better, improving the lives and livelihoods of coffee-growing communities. What You Will Do: As an R & D Sensory Intern at Peet’s Coffee, you will focus on competitive benchmarking across the coffee CPG landscape, with an emphasis on sensory, analytical, packaging, and on‑pack claim evaluation. You will assess a range of product formats, including but not limited to bagged R&G coffee, bottled liquid coffee products, and instant coffee, to develop a holistic understanding of how Peet’s products compare within the marketplace. In addition, you will support daily sensory laboratory operations, including but not limited to sample preparation, panel set‑up and breakdown, data collection and entry, inventory management, and general lab organization and maintenance. This hands‑on lab support will provide exposure to routine sensory workflows while ensuring smooth execution of ongoing sensory evaluations. This internship will help establish a structured competitive benchmarking effort across the U.S. coffee industry, enabling Peet’s to clearly understand its current competitive position and identify whitespace opportunities for innovation. Additionally, the work will support the foundation of an ongoing, repeatable benchmarking program that can be leveraged for future product development and strategic decision‑making. For selected product formats, you will conduct robust data collection and synthesis across sensory evaluation, analytical measurements, packaging attributes, and product claims, culminating in a comprehensive written report The final deliverable will include a comparative assessment of Peet’s products versus key competitors, along with clear conclusions, identified innovation opportunities, and recommended next steps to inform future development efforts

Requirements

Currently pursuing a degree in Food Science or a related scientific field (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, or Engineering)
Enrolled as a full time or part-time student at a California University/College
High attention to detail
Analytical thinking and problem-solving ability
Time management and prioritization skills
Professional communication skills (email and report writing)
Critical thinking and ability to generate insights
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Willingness to learn and accept feedback
Ability to conduct research
Positive attitude and intellectual curiosity

Responsibilities

Focus on competitive benchmarking across the coffee CPG landscape, with an emphasis on sensory, analytical, packaging, and on‑pack claim evaluation.
Assess a range of product formats, including but not limited to bagged R&G coffee, bottled liquid coffee products, and instant coffee, to develop a holistic understanding of how Peet’s products compare within the marketplace.
Support daily sensory laboratory operations, including but not limited to sample preparation, panel set‑up and breakdown, data collection and entry, inventory management, and general lab organization and maintenance.
Conduct robust data collection and synthesis across sensory evaluation, analytical measurements, packaging attributes, and product claims, culminating in a comprehensive written report
Comparative assessment of Peet’s products versus key competitors, along with clear conclusions, identified innovation opportunities, and recommended next steps to inform future development efforts