George Vukasin Passes at 82
George Vukasin Sr.
West Coast specialty coffee pioneer and Peerless Coffee and Tea c.e.o. George J. Vukasin, 82, died Feb. 15.
Vukasin, who inherited the company from his father in 1957, lived to pass it to his son George Vukasin Jr.
A former president of the Pacific Coast Coffee Association and past president of the National Coffee Association, Vukasin helped make craft roasting popular through the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
He was born April 18, 1933, graduated from Oakland public schools and attended U.C. Berkeley, graduating in 1955 in criminology. He hoped to be an FBI agent but instead joined the US Army, eventually attaining the rank of major general during a 35-year career in the Army Reserves.
“He loved coffee and enjoyed STiR quite a bit!” writes his son George Jr.
Vukasin is survived by Sonja Halvorsen, his wife of 50 years; a brother, 2 children, and 8 grandchildren.