diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9aa42707..f43dfd17 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -178,6 +178,10 @@ const memoryCache = await caching('memory', {
   max: 100,
   ttl: 10 * 1000 /*milliseconds*/,
   refreshThreshold: 3 * 1000 /*milliseconds*/,
+  
+  /* optional, but if not set, background refresh error will be an unhandled
+   * promise rejection, which might crash your node process */
+  onBackgroundRefreshError: (error) => { /* log or otherwise handle error */ }
 });
 ```
 
diff --git a/src/caching.ts b/src/caching.ts
index 7bdd5366..1e9f178d 100644
--- a/src/caching.ts
+++ b/src/caching.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ export type Config = {
   ttl?: Milliseconds;
   refreshThreshold?: Milliseconds;
   isCacheable?: (val: unknown) => boolean;
+  onBackgroundRefreshError?: (error: unknown) => void;
 };
 
 export type Milliseconds = number;
@@ -114,9 +115,15 @@ export function createCache<S extends Store, C extends Config>(
           const cacheTTL = typeof ttl === 'function' ? ttl(value) : ttl;
           const remainingTtl = await store.ttl(key);
           if (remainingTtl !== -1 && remainingTtl < refreshThresholdConfig) {
-            coalesceAsync(`+++${key}`, fn).then((result) =>
-              store.set<T>(key, result, cacheTTL),
-            );
+            coalesceAsync(`+++${key}`, fn)
+              .then((result) => store.set<T>(key, result, cacheTTL))
+              .catch((error) => {
+                if (args?.onBackgroundRefreshError) {
+                  args.onBackgroundRefreshError(error);
+                } else {
+                  return Promise.reject(error);
+                }
+              });
           }
         }
         return value;
diff --git a/test/caching.test.ts b/test/caching.test.ts
index fd682b6b..4e6d89af 100644
--- a/test/caching.test.ts
+++ b/test/caching.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import promiseCoalesce from 'promise-coalesce';
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 
 import { caching, Cache, MemoryConfig, memoryStore, createCache } from '../src';
-import { sleep } from './utils';
+import { sleep, disableExistingExceptionListeners } from './utils';
+import { afterEach } from 'node:test';
+import process from 'node:process';
 
 // Allow the module to be mocked so we can assert
 // the old and new behavior for issue #417
@@ -417,6 +419,70 @@ describe('caching', () => {
     expect(callCount).toEqual(2);
   });
 
+  describe('if onBackgroundRefreshError is not set', async () => {
+    const rejectionHandler = vi.fn();
+    let restoreListeners: () => void;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      restoreListeners = disableExistingExceptionListeners();
+      process.on('uncaughtException', rejectionHandler);
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      process.off('uncaughtException', rejectionHandler);
+      restoreListeners();
+    });
+
+    it('failed background cache refresh calls uncaughtException', async () => {
+      key = faker.string.alpha(20);
+
+      cache = await caching('memory', {
+        ttl: 1000,
+        refreshThreshold: 500,
+      });
+
+      value = await cache.wrap(key, () => Promise.resolve('ok'));
+      expect(value).toEqual('ok');
+      expect(rejectionHandler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      await sleep(600);
+
+      value = await cache.wrap(key, () => Promise.reject(new Error('failed')));
+
+      expect(value).toEqual('ok'); // previous successful value returned
+      await vi.waitUntil(() => rejectionHandler.mock.calls.length > 0);
+      expect(rejectionHandler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(rejectionHandler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        new Error('failed'),
+        'unhandledRejection',
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('if onBackgroundRefreshError if set, failed background cache refresh calls it', async () => {
+    key = faker.string.alpha(20);
+    const onBackgroundRefreshError = vi.fn();
+
+    cache = await caching('memory', {
+      ttl: 1000,
+      refreshThreshold: 500,
+      onBackgroundRefreshError,
+    });
+
+    value = await cache.wrap(key, () => Promise.resolve('ok'));
+    expect(value).toEqual('ok');
+    expect(onBackgroundRefreshError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    await sleep(600);
+
+    value = await cache.wrap(key, () => Promise.reject(new Error('failed')));
+
+    expect(value).toEqual('ok'); // previous successful value returned
+    await vi.waitUntil(() => onBackgroundRefreshError.mock.calls.length > 0);
+    expect(onBackgroundRefreshError).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(onBackgroundRefreshError).toHaveBeenCalledWith(new Error('failed'));
+  });
+
   it('should allow dynamic refreshThreshold on wrap function', async () => {
     cache = await caching('memory', {
       ttl: 2 * 1000,
diff --git a/test/utils.ts b/test/utils.ts
index 2bab3c83..8c9700a2 100644
--- a/test/utils.ts
+++ b/test/utils.ts
@@ -1 +1,25 @@
+import process from 'node:process';
+
 export const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, ms));
+
+export const disableExistingExceptionListeners = () => {
+  const uncaughtExceptionListeners = process.rawListeners(
+    'uncaughtException',
+  ) as NodeJS.UncaughtExceptionListener[];
+  const unhandledRejectionListeners = process.rawListeners(
+    'unhandledRejection',
+  ) as NodeJS.UnhandledRejectionListener[];
+
+  process.removeAllListeners('uncaughtException');
+  process.removeAllListeners('unhandledRejection');
+
+  /* restore listeners */
+  return () => {
+    uncaughtExceptionListeners.forEach((listener) =>
+      process.addListener('uncaughtException', listener),
+    );
+    unhandledRejectionListeners.forEach((listener) =>
+      process.addListener('unhandledRejection', listener),
+    );
+  };
+};