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Peter Dukes, the 'father' of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, shares the origin story

In 2003, Starbucks took a chance on the pumpkin-flavored drink

Dukes tells PEOPLE it almost went by a different name: the 'Fall Harvest Latte'

Back in 2003, Starbucks was looking to create a new fall drink, testing different flavors and trying to find one that blended comfort and warmth with originality.

Peter Dukes, the "father" of what would become the brand's fan-favorite beverage, the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL), tells PEOPLE that pumpkin-flavored things weren't very popular at the time.

"We started to brainstorm different ideas that would resonate in the fall seasonal time period. We came up with hundreds of ideas," he says, noting that there "were chocolate beverages and caramel beverages"

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