CupScout

_A brief history of the growth of coffee trading–Notable firms and
personalities that have played important parts in green coffee in
the principal coffee centers–Green coffee trade
organizations–Growth of the wholesale coffee-roasting trade, and
names of those who have made history in it–The National Coffee
Roasters Association–Statistics of distribution of coffee-roasting
establishments in the United States_

Coffee trading in the American colonies probably had its beginnings
about the middle of the seventeenth century. Tea seems to have preceded
coffee as an article of merchandise. Several merchants in the New
England and New York settlements imported small quantities of coffee
with other foodstuffs toward the close of the seventeenth century.

The early supplies of the green bean were brought from the Dutch East
Indies, Arabia, Haiti, and Jamaica. About 1787, the French opened
Mauritius and Bourbon to American ships, which then began to bring back
coffee and tea to the Atlantic-coast cities. Mocha coffee was being
imported direct in American bottoms about 1804. Coffee from Brazil was
first imported by the United States in 1809. Central America began
shipping coffee to the United States in 1840. The total coffee imports
in 1876 were 339,789,246 pounds, valued at $56,788,997, and received
chiefly from Brazil, Haiti, British and Dutch East Indies, the West
Indies, and Mexico.

New York early became the leading green-coffee market of the country.

There was a number of large importing merchants in New York in 1760,
nearly all of whom brought in coffee. Among them were Isaac and Nicholas
Gouverneur, Robert Murray, Walter and Samuel Franklin, John and Henry
Cruger, the Livingstons, the Beekmans, Lott & Low, Philip Cuyler,
Anthony Van Dam, Hugh and Alexander Wallace, Leonard and Anthony
Lispenard, Theophylact Bache, and William Walton.

Some early green-coffee prices per pound were as follows:

1683–18s. 9d.; 1743–5s.; 1746–5s.; 1774–9s.; 1781[347]–96s. O.T.;
1782–2s. 1d. O.T.; 1783–1s.; 1789–10 cents.

Leading New York coffee importers in 1786 were Henry Sheaff, on the dock
between Burling Slip and the Fly Market; John Rooney, 26 Cherry Street;
William Eccles, 10 Hunters Key; Ludlow & Goold, 47 Wall Street; Scriba,
Schroppel & Starmen, 17 Queen Street; and William Taylor, Crane Wharf.

The wholesale coffee roaster appeared about 1790; and from that time the
separation between the green-coffee trader and the coffee roaster became
more marked. In 1794 the principal green-coffee importers in New York
were: Lawrence & Van Zandt; D. Smith & Co., 323 Pearl Street; Gilchrist
Dickinson, 17 Taylor’s Wharf; Armstrong & Barnewall, 129 Water Street;
William Bowne, 265 Pearl Street; Stephen Cole & Son, 26 Ferry Street;
J.S. De Lessert & Co., 123 Front Street; Joseph Thebaud, 262 Pearl
Street; Nathaniel Cooper & Co., 38 Little Dock Street; Coll. M’Gregor,
28 Wall Street; David Wagstaff, 137 Front Street; Conkling & Lloyd, 15
Taylor’s Wharf; and S.B. Garrick, Westphal & Co., 43 Cherry Street.

[Illustration: Hermann Sielcken

B.G. Arnold

F.B. Arnold

Joseph Purcell

SOME DEPARTED DOMINANT FIGURES IN THE NEW YORK GREEN COFFEE TRADE]

The leading New York coffee importers in 1848 were Henry and William
Delafield, 108 Front Street; and Des Arts & Henser, 78 Water Street.

There were seven leading New York coffee importers in 1854, as follows:
Aymar & Co., 34 South Street; Henry Coit & Son, 43 South Street; Henry
Delafield, 129 Pearl Street; Howland & Aspinwall, 54 South Street; Mason
& Thompson, 33 Pearl Street; J.L. Phipps & Co., 19 Cliff Street; and
Moses Taylor & Co., 44 South Street.

Following the so-called “consortium” of 1868, the ramifications of which
centered in Frankfort-on-the-Main–its speculations finally ending in
disaster to many–the green-coffee trade was in a precarious condition
until well into the eighties. “Previously,” says a contemporary writer,
“it had been the safest and prettiest of all colonial produce.”

About 1868, “iron steamers began to be freely availed of as carriers of
coffee; and later on, the telegraph became a factor, rendering the
business more exciting and expensive”.

Coffee consumption in the United States had, moreover, increased from
one pound per capita in 1790 to nine pounds per capita in 1882.

1892-93 the biggest figure in the world’s coffee trade was George
Kaltenbach, a German living in Paris, whose resources were estimated at
twelve million to fifteen million dollars, and whose holdings at one
time were said to be one million bags. He was reported to have made
$1,500,000 on his coffee corner. In September, 1892, he bested a bull
clique and forced prices down to twelve cents. Aided by three other
European operators, he then started a bull syndicate, and put the price
up to seventeen cents. The story of this corner, and of other notable
coffee booms and panics, is told in more detail in chapter XXXI.

_Early Days of the Green Coffee Business_.

For a long time New York was the only important entry port for green
coffee. Before the rise of New Orleans and San Francisco, many inland
coffee roasters and grocers had their own buyers in the New York market.
The coffee district that still clings about lower Wall Street is rich in
memories of by-gone merchants who once were big factors in the trade,
and whose names, in many instances, have been handed down from
generation to generation in the businesses that have survived them.

Any reference to the early days of the green-coffee importing, jobbing,
and brokerage business in New York would not be complete without mention
of a few of the pioneers:

P.C. Meehan is eighty-four years old at the time of writing (1922) and
is dean of the New York green-coffee trade. With James H. Briggs he
formed the firm of Briggs & Meehan. This later became Meehan & Schramm,
with Arnold Schramm. The latter withdrew, and the firm became Creighton,
Morrison & Meehan. Finally, Mr. Meehan established the present firm of
P.C. Meehan & Co.

[Illustration: James H. Taylor

H. Simmonds

Edwin H. Peck

P.C. Meehan

THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE NEW YORK GREEN COFFEE TRADE DATES BACK NEARLY
FIFTY YEARS]

When Mr. Schramm withdrew from the firm of Meehan & Schramm he founded
the house of Arnold Schramm, Inc. Upon his retirement, this was
succeeded by Sprague & Rhodes, the firm being composed of Benjamin
Rhodes and Irvin A. Sprague.

Next oldest to P.C. Meehan in the New York green-coffee trade is
Clarence Creighton, who started with Youngs & Amman, later C. Amman &
Co., then Waite, Creighton & Morrison, then Creighton, Morrison &
Meehan. Upon the breaking up of this firm, Mr. Creighton formed a
partnership with James Ashland, under the name of Creighton & Ashland.
He later operated alone, and died August 15, 1922.

James H. Taylor is another “old-timer” who is still active. He began
with T.T. Barr & Co. Later, with F.T. Sherman, he formed the firm of
Sherman & Taylor. When Mr. Sherman withdrew, the firm became James H.
Taylor & Co. Mr. Taylor is now with Minford, Lueder & Co. He has been
five years president, eleven years treasurer, and twenty-six years on
the board of governors of the New York Coffee Exchange.

One of the most honored names in the green coffee trade of New York is
that of Peck. Edwin H. Peck began, at the age of seventeen years, with
Hart & Howell, butter and cheese merchants. He then went in the same
business for himself. Four years later, he abandoned this to go into the
coffee brokerage business with his brother, Walter J. Peck. In about
five years, the brothers branched into the coffee importing and jobbing
business under the firm name of Edwin H. Peck & Co. Later it was changed
to the present style of E.H. & W. J. Peck. Since the death of Walter J.
Peck in 1909, Edwin H. has conducted the business. The latter was a
member of the board of governors of the New York Coffee Exchange for
twelve years, and has been an important factor in the upbuilding of that
institution.

William D. Mackey began with Small Bros. & Co. He then went into
partnership with C.K. Small as Mackey & Small. Later, he formed the firm
of Arnold, Mackey & Co. with Francis B. Arnold. The latter dropped out,
and the firm became Mackey & Co. He is now operating alone. Mr. Mackey
was another of the incorporators of the New York Coffee Exchange.

Alexander H. Purcell, a brother of Joseph Purcell, entered the employ of
Bowie Dash & Co. as a boy. From there he went to Williams, Russell &
Co., then to the Union Coffee Co., and later to Hard & Rand. He is now
head of the firm of Alex. H. Purcell & Co.

Robert C. Stewart first became known with Booth & Linsley. He later went
with Joseph J. O’Donohue & Sons, leaving there to establish the present
firm of R.C. Stewart & Co.

Another old-timer, Joseph D. Pickslay, may be seen at his desk in
Williams, Russell & Co.’s office every day, although Frank Williams, who
began with Winthrop G. Ray & Co., and Frank C. Russell, both of
Williams, Chapin & Russell, and then of Williams, Russell & Co., have
passed on. Fred P. Gordon, now head of Fred P. Gordon & Co., was
formerly with Williams, Russell & Co.

The Mitchell brothers, William L. and George, forming the firm of
Mitchell Bros., have been familiar Front Street figures for many years.

A. Wakeman, “the historian of the coffee trade,” as he is often called,
began with Olendorf, Case & Gillespie. Later he went with Thompson &
Bowers, and then became a member of the firm of Baiz & Wakeman. He is
now in business alone. For thirty-eight years Mr. Wakeman has been
secretary of the Lower Wall Street Business Men’s Association. He is the
author of _History and Reminiscences of Lower Wall Street and Vicinity_.

H. Simmonds, of Simmonds & Bayne; later, of Simmonds & Newton; then, of
the Brazil Coffee Co.; and finally, of H. Simmonds & Co., is at the time
of writing one of the oldest coffee merchants on Front Street, having
been in business in Baltimore and New York for more than fifty years. He
has a desk in the office of his son, W. Lee Simmonds, of W. Lee Simmonds
& Co.

Bayne is another well known Front Street name. The firm of William Bayne
& Co. was established by William Bayne, Sr., in Baltimore. The business
was moved to New York about 1885. The founder’s three sons, William,
Jr., Daniel K., and L. P., entered the employ of the firm in Baltimore,
and moved with it to New York.

Daniel K. Bayne became associated with Henry Sheldon & Co., and later
was a member of Simmonds & Bayne. He then returned to William Bayne &
Co. and was senior partner at the time of his death in 1915. William
Bayne, Jr., for many years one of the governors and a past-president and
vice-president of the New York Coffee Exchange, and his brother, L.P.
Bayne, now conduct the business.

John T. Foley, now of the Commercial Coffee Co., began with Kirkland
Bros. From there he went to Ezra Wheeler & Co., then to H.W. Banks &
Co., Thompson, Shortridge & Co., and William Hosmer Bennett & Son.

Joshua Walker formed a partnership with James Stewart as Stewart &
Walker. Since the retirement of Mr. Stewart some years ago, Mr. Walker
has been in business alone.

Three other veterans of the trade are still in the harness: Louis
Seligsberg, formerly of Wolf & Seligsberg, is now alone; Henry Schaefer
has been at the head of S. Gruner & Co. since the death of Siegfried
Gruner; Col. William P. Roome, who operated for some time as Wm. P.
Roome & Co., is now head of the coffee department of Acker, Merrall &
Condit Co.

[Illustration: O.G. Kimball Boston

James C. Russell New York

James W. Phyfe New York

C.E. Bickford San Francisco

GREEN COFFEE TRADE BUILDERS WHO HAVE PASSED ON]

Gregory B. Livierato, who founded the business of Livierato Bros. at
Port Said, with branches at Aden and Marseilles, and later at Hodeida
and Harar, entered the green coffee trade of New York in 1855, although
his L F Mocha marks had been introduced here many years before. He
remained here for eighteen years, returned to his home in Cephalonia,
Greece, in 1904, and died there in 1905. His nephew, B.A. Livierato,
then assumed charge of the New York coffee business, which in 1913
became the Livierato-Kidde Co., with B.A. Livierato and Frank Kidde.

Benjamin Green Arnold, one-time “coffee king,” first became well known
as a member of Arnold, Sturgess & Co., afterward B.G. Arnold & Co. Mr.
Arnold was one of the incorporators, and the first president, of the New
York Coffee Exchange. Francis B. Arnold, with Arnold, Sturgess & Co.,
later of Arnold, Mackey & Co., afterward Arnold, Dorr & Co., was a son
of Benjamin Greene Arnold; and to him and to Major John R. McNulty
belongs a great part of the credit for the organization of the New York
Coffee Exchange. Major McNulty was with Minford, Thompson & Co., and
then formed the firm of J.R. McNulty & Co.

Bowie Dash, a member of the famous Arnold-Kimball-Dash triumvirate,
began with Scott & Meiser, later Scott, Meiser & Co., then Scott & Dash,
afterward Scott, Dash & Co., and finally Bowie Dash & Co. Other well
known men with this last company were L.F. Mason, A.C. Foster, S.L.
Swazey, L.J. Purdy, and John B. Overton.

Then there were: Rufus G. Story; Thomas Minford, Francis Skiddy, and
George J. Nevers, of Skiddy, Minford & Co.; W.D. Thompson, of Minford,
Thompson & Co., later L.W. Minford & Co., afterward Minford, Lueder &
Co., Thompson, Shortridge & Co., later Thompson Bros., then Thompson &
Davis; John Randall, with L.W. Minford & Co., later, with J.C. Runkle &
Co.; Eugene and James O’Sullivan of Eugene O ‘Sullivan & Co.

The following names figured prominently in the trade’s early history:
Charles Maguire, of James H. Taylor & Co.; George F. Gilman, organizer
of the Great American Tea Co. and of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Co.; H.W. Banks, of Reeve, Case & Banks, afterward of Stanton, Sheldon &
Co., later Sheldon, Banks & Co., and then of H.W. Banks & Co.; Henry
Sheldon, of Stanton, Sheldon & Co., later Sheldon, Banks & Co.; and then
Henry Sheldon & Co.; William McCready, with Small Bros. & Co., later
with H.W. Banks & Co., and then with B.H. Howell, Son & Co., C.R.
Blakeman, with Gross, March & Co., afterward with Wm. Scott’s Sons &
Co.; William Scott, of William Scott & Sons, later Wm. Scott’s Sons &
Co., including George W. Vanderhoef, who later succeeded to the business
under the name of George W. Vanderhoef & Co.; Christopher and Leander S.
Risley, of C. Risley & Co.; and Charles Naphew, with C. Risley & Co.,
later with Edwin H. Peck & Co.

[Illustration: William Bayne New York

George W. Crossman New York

George Westfeldt New Orleans

Wm. H. Bennett New York

THEIR RACE IS RUN, THEIR COURSE IS DONE]

Another group of old-timers includes: William Newbold, with Ezra Wheeler
& Co., later alone; Augustus Ireland, with Ezra Wheeler & Co.; J.M.
Edwards, of Edwards & Maddux, later of J.M. Edwards & Co.; Frank M.
Anthony, of J.M. Edwards & Co.; H. Clay Maddux, one of the incorporators
of the New York Coffee Exchange, of Edwards & Maddux; Baron Thomsen, of
Thomsen & Co.; Gustave Amsinck, of G. Amsinck & Co.; James N. Jarvie,
with Small Bros. & Co., later of Arbuckle Bros.; John C. Lloyd, of John
C. Lloyd & Co., afterward with Arbuckle Bros.; John Small, of Smalls &
Bacon, later Small Bros. & Co.; Williamson Bacon, of Smalls & Bacon,
afterward of Williamson Bacon & Co.; C.K. Small, of Mackey & Small,
Anson Wales Hard and George Rand, of Hard & Rand; Joseph Purcell, first
of W.J. Porter & Co., and then of Hard & Rand; Henry F. McCreery, with
O’Shaughnessy & Sorley, later of Hard & Rand; William Sorley and John W.
O’Shaughnessy, of O’Shaughnessy & Sorley, Mr. O’Shaughnessy later
forming John W. O’Shaughnessy & Co., and Mr. Sorley going to Hard &
Rand. Mr. Sorley was one of the incorporators of the New York Coffee
Exchange.

[Illustration: 112 FRONT STREET, NEW YORK, IN 1879

A group of old-time green coffee men, including R. C. Stewart, J.D.
Pickslay, Frank Williams, Charles P. Chapin, and Fred P. Gordon]

Special mention should be made of: Kirkland & von Sacks; A. Kirkland,
one of the incorporators of the New York Coffee Exchange, with Small
Bros. & Co., then with W.J. Kirkland as Kirkland Bros., and, upon the
dissolution of that firm, with F.H. Leggett & Co.; Thomas Rutter & Co.;
Teacle Wallace Lewis, with Rowland, Humphreys & Co., later head of the
coffee department of Carter, Macy & Co., and still later, head of T.W.
Lewis & Co.; Abraham Sanger, of Sanger, Beers & Fisher, later Sanger &
Wells; J.W. Wilson & Co.; Dykes & Wilson; Peter, John, and Joseph J.
O’Donohue, of John O’Donohue’s Sons; Joseph J. O’Donohue & Sons; Otis W.
Booth, of Booth & Linsley; A.G. Hildreth; James H. Kirby, of B.G. Arnold
& Co., later of Kirby, Halstead & Chapin, afterward Kirby & Halstead;
Major Henry D. Tyler; Thomas H. Messenger & Co.; Harvey H. Palmer, of
H.H. Palmer & Co.; B. O. Bowers, of Wilson & Bowers, later Thompson &
Bowers; and August Haeussler, first with C. Risley & Co., then with J.
H. Labaree & Co., and finally with the green coffee department of Geo.
H. McFadden & Brother.

John Hanley, with Carey & Co., later of Hanley & Kinsella, St. Louis;
Robert C. Hewitt, Jr., who wrote one of the early books on coffee
(_Coffee, its History, Cultivation, and Uses_, 1872), of Hewitt & Phyfe,
later Jas. W. Phyfe & Co.; James W. Phyfe of Hewitt & Phyfe, later Jas.
W. Phyfe & Co.; Daniel A. Shaw, of Jas. W. Phyfe & Co.; B. Lahey, of
Jas. W. Phyfe & Co.; and Winthrop G. Ray & Co.

These names, too, will live long in green coffee history: Reid, Murdock
& Fischer, New York and Chicago; Charles A. and Watts Miller, and David
Palmer, of D.J. Ely & Co., formerly D.J. & Z.S. Ely Co., New York and
Baltimore; Harry Miller, with D.J. Ely & Co., later of Miller &
Walbridge; Augustus Walbridge, of Smith & Walbridge, afterward Augustus
M. Walbridge, Inc.; Clarence Smith, of M.V.R. Smith’s Sons, later of
Smith & Walbridge; Stevens, Armstrong & Hartshorn, later Stevens &
Armstrong, then Stevens Bros. & Co., and finally Reamer, Turner & Co.,
including Abraham Reamer, Sr., and William F. Turner.

[Illustration: AT 87 WALL STREET, N.Y., YEARS AGO

Among the green coffee men in this picture are Clarence Creighton, John
Enright, Chris Arndt, W. Lee Simmonds, John Ashlin, F. Loderose, Julius
Steinwender, and Clinton Whiting]

[Illustration: WALL AND FRONT STREETS, NEW YORK, SPRING OF 1922

Looking up Wall Street from the East River. The first cross street is
Front; beyond are to be seen the Munson, Stock Exchange, and Bankers'
Trust Company's buildings, with Trinity Church marking the Broadway
gateway]

Other familiar old-time names were: George W. Pritchard, of George W.
Pritchard & Sons; Dayton & Co.; Dimond & Lally, later Dimond & Gardes;
Arthur W. Brown; Robert Russell, of Russell & Co.; J. F. Pupke and
Thomas Reid, of Pupke & Reid, later Eppens, Smith & Wiemann, afterward
Eppens, Smith & Co., with William H. and Frederick P. Eppens; Joseph A.
O’Brien, with Pupke & Reid, and later in business for himself; R.P.
McBride, of the Union Pacific Tea Co.; Ripley Ropes; Saportas Bros.;
Mayer Bros. & Co. of Hamburg, with Moses G. Hanauer, manager, and D.K.
Young and Herman Hanauer, salesmen; H.M. Humphreys, with J.W. Doane &
Co., later with Arbuckle Bros.; Henry Nordlinger, of Henry Nordlinger &
Co.; Charles Campbell, of W.R. Grace & Co.; D.A. DeLima, of D.A. & J.
DeLima, later D.A. DeLima & Co.; Henry Kunhardt and George F. Kuhlke, of
Kunhardt & Co.; Boulton, Bliss & Dallett, later Bliss, Dallett & Co.,
general managers of the Red D line of steamships; Prendergast Bros.;
W.H. and George W. Crossman, of W.H. Crossman & Bros., later Crossman &
Sielcken, with Hermann Sielcken, afterward Sorenson & Nielson; F. Probst
& Co.; H. H. Swift & Co.; J.L. Phipps & Co.; James Bennett and Joseph
Becker, of Bennett & Becker; and Arnold, Hines & Co. (Diamond A Mocha),
later Arnold, Cheney & Company.

Honorable mention should be accorded: Samuel Wilde (Old Dutch Mills);
John Phoenix, with Husted, Ferguson & Titus, later of J.W. Phoenix &
Co.; H.K. Thurber, of H.K. & F.B. Thurber & Co.; Michael Barnicle, with
Walter Storm, later Storm, Smith & Co., then Abbey, Freeman & Co., then
with Husted, Wetmore & Titus, and finally alone; August Stumpp, of
August Stumpp & Co.; J.K. and E.B. Place; Beards & Cummings, later
Beards & Cottrell, then S.S. Beard & Co.; Philip and Henry Dater, of
Philip Dater & Co.; Hugh Edwards, of Edwards & Raworth; William Bennett,
of Wm. Hosmer Bennett & Son; Kalman Haas, of Haas Bros.; J.C. Runkle &
Co.; Thomas T. Barr and Fred T. Sherman, of Barr, Lally & Co., later
T.T. Barr & Co.; Henry Hentz & Co.; Elmenhorst & Co.; A.S. Lascelles &
Co.; D. Henderson (Harry) and John Wells, of Wells Bros.; G. Weyl & Co.,
later Norton, Weyl & Beven, and then Weyl & Norton; Warren & Co.; J.H.
Labaree & Co.; Schultz & Ruckgaber; Henry Eyre; Rowland, Terry &
Humphreys, later Rowland & Humphreys; Bentley, Benton & Co.; Winter &
Smilie; Weston & Gray; John S. Wright, one of the incorporators of the
New York Coffee Exchange, of Wright, Hard & Co.; Watjen, Toel & Co.; A.
Behrens & Co.; “Steve” Matheson, of S. Matheson, Jr. & Co.; C. Wessels &
Bros., later Wessels, Kulenkampff & Co., and finally Fromm & Co.; Julius
Steinwender, of Steinwender, Stoffregen & Co.; Leon Israel, of Leon
Israel & Bros.; Herklotz, Corn & Co.; Ponfold, Schuyler & Co.; Maitland,
Phelps & Co., later Maitland, Coppell & Co.; F.H. Leggett, of F.H.
Leggett & Co.; Carhart & Brother; George W. Flanders, of George W.
Flanders & Co.; Jonas P. O’Brien; George S. Wallen, of George S. Wallen
& Co.; Charles F. Blake, of Blake & Bullard; and Martin J. Glynn, of
McDonald & Glynn, later Martin J. Glynn & Co., who had their office at
Front Street and Old Slip for twenty-five years.

Three other names closely associated with the early days of the New York
green-coffee trade were: Glover, Force & Co., later Waterbury & Force,
then W.H. Force & Co., and finally W.S. Force & Co., weighers and
forwarders; Daniel Reeve, of Reeve & Van Riper, mixers and hullers; and
John H. Draper & Co., auctioneers.

_Growth of the Leading Coffee Ports_

Twenty-two years ago, when the century opened, New York passed over her
docks a total of 676,000,000 pounds of coffee, which represented
eighty-six percent of the total for the country. In 1920, juggling the
figures a little, she imported 767,000,000 pounds, which was fifty-nine
percent of the total. While she was thus practically marking time, she
watched New Orleans run wild with an increase from 44,000,000 pounds to
380,000,000 pounds, or 763 percent gain; this meaning also the supplying
of twenty-nine percent of the country’s demands instead of five percent,
while San Francisco in the same time jumped from 24,000,000 pounds to
137,000,000 pounds, or 470 percent gain, her share of the total trade
now being ten percent instead of three percent in 1900. These gains,
however, have not all been made at the expense of the city on the
Hudson. In 1900, Baltimore was a close rival of New Orleans and was far
ahead of all other ports except New York; but a decline in her imports
began about 1903, and was so swift, that five years later her imports
were almost negligible.

[Illustration: LOOKING SOUTH FROM WALL STREET INTO THE HEART OF THE
GREEN COFFEE DISTRICT

On the left-hand corner is Hard & Rand's, opposite Leon Israel & Bros.'
building, and beyond are many other leading green coffee firms.]

[Illustration: LOOKING NORTH FROM WALL STREET. HERE A FEW WELL KNOWN
COFFEE FIRMS ARE LOCATED

The trend of the trade is south from Wall St. rather than north]

[Illustration: FRONT STREET, NEW YORK'S GREEN COFFEE DISTRICT, IN 1922]

IMPORTS OF COFFEE AT LEADING PORTS OF ENTRY IN THE UNITED STATES

New York New Orleans San Francisco Total Imports
_Pounds_ _Pounds_ _Pounds_ _Pounds_

1900 676,227,269 44,335,717 24,562,578 787,991,911
1913 554,571,449 263,382,962 36,067,073 863,130,757
1914 633,400,209 308,008,145 46,721,824 1,001,528,317
1915 758,160,133 307,868,932 45,844,060 1,118,690,524
1916 814,394,074 308,513,290 71,346,788 1,201,104,485
1917 932,098,113 274,989,692 97,821,069 1,319,870,802
1918 779,025,781 219,330,461 134,729,019 1,143,890,889
1918[K] 757,710,001 146,621,857 130,178,288 1,052,201,501
1919[K] 804,177,446 356,608,477 160,426,467 1,333,564,067
1920[K] 767,242,636 380,293,701 137,043,281 1,297,439,310
1921[K] 790,559,919 331,036,770 139,069,286 1,340,979,776

[K] Calendar years. All others fiscal years.

New Orleans began her advance at about the same time that Baltimore
began to fall off, so that her rise to a place of importance as a coffee
port has been practically coincident with the twentieth century. Her
first big step upward was in 1901, from 44,000,000 to 72,000,000 pounds,
and was followed by another the next year to 115,000,000. Thereafter
there was a steady gain to 213,000,000 pounds in 1906 and to 301,000,000
pounds in 1910, and after that wide fluctuations, especially during the
war. In 1918, doubtless because of the draining of shipping to the North
Atlantic service, there was a heavy slump; but immediately after the
war, in the calendar year 1919, there was a big jump to a record mark,
up to that time, of 356,000,000 pounds. This was followed by the record
of 380,000,000 pounds in the calendar year 1920, although the 1921
figure of 331,036,770 shows a falling off of nearly 50,000,000 pounds.

San Francisco’s growth, on the other hand, is of recent occurrence. The
story is told farther along in this chapter, how the city was definitely
placed on the coffee map by the provision of adequate shipping
facilities to Central America. The outbreak of the war in Europe,
however, which loosened the grip of European nations on the coffee crops
of Central America, was the prime cause of San Francisco’s rise in the
coffee world, affording her an opportunity of which she had the
enterprise to take full advantage. In 1913, her imports were only about
36,000,000 pounds, at which mark they had stood for many years. There
was only a slight gain until 1916, when 71,000,000 pounds were recorded;
but this increased to 97,000,000 pounds in 1917, to 134,000,000 pounds
in 1918 (fiscal year), and to 160,000,000 pounds in the calendar year
1919. In 1920, there was a falling off to 137,000,000 pounds, and it may
be that the high figure reached the year before represents about the
maximum that her natural market, the Pacific-coast region, can well
absorb.

For the benefit of those who like to do their own interpreting of
figures, we present in the table at the top of this page the official
record for recent years.

The leading importers of Brazil coffee direct to New York and Baltimore
in 1894, as compiled by William H. Force & Co., were as follows.
Included in this list are a number of names well known in the green and
roasted coffee trades of other cities:

DIRECT IMPORTERS OF BRAZIL COFFEE
_New York, 1894_

_Bags_

Arbuckle Bros. 688,726
W.H. Crossman & Bro. 355,864
Hard & Rand. 345,541
W.F. McLaughlin & Co. 227,935
J.W. Doane & Co. 207,170
Steinwender, Stoffregen Co. 132,482
J.L. Phipps & Co. 54,617
Dannemillers & Co. 49,449
E. Levering & Co. 47,322
Aug. Stumpp. 44,959
Thomson & Taylor Spice Co. 44,017
G. Amsinck & Co. 38,350
E.H. & W.J. Peck. 33,278
J.H. Labaree & Co. 32,071
Fitch & Howland. 31,515
Shinkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 25,951
C.D. Lathrop & Co. 23,263
Taylor & Levering. 21,501
Heinrich Haase. 18,976
William T. Levering. 18,796
T.G. Lurman & Co. 18,017
Elmenhorst & Co. 16,221
Sprague, Warner & Co. 14,856
Sorver, Damon & Co. 14,675
Sutton & Vansant 13,957
John O’Donohue’s Sons 13,681
Hoffman, Lee & Co. 13,598
S.R. Alexander 12,805
Eppens, Smith & Wiemann Co. 12,719
Baker & Young 11,906
Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 11,318
Durand & Kasper Co. 11,124
Wm. Schotten & Co. 11,005
C.G. Bullard & Co. 10,653
H.W. Banks & Co. 10,351
Ellis Bros. 10,282
Jacob Baiz 9,146
A. Lueder & Co. 8,492
C.F. Pitt & Sons 8,262
G.F. Gillman 7,927
Bell, Conrad & Co. 6,528
N. Martin & Co. 6,507
J.B. O’Donohue & Co. 6,102
Steele, Wedeles Co. 5,700
G.O. Gordon 5,550
Sherman Bros. & Co. 4,998
F. MacVeagh & Co. 4,763
Benedict & Co. 4,717
Chase & Sanborn 4,505
West & Melchers 4,500
Mokaska Mfg. Co. 4,013
Haebler & Co. 4,000
Robt. Crooks & Co. 3,509
M.M. Levy & Co. 3,037
J.A. Tolman Co. 3,004
Tracy & Avery Co. 3,000
Wells Bros. 2,800
Kirby, Halsted & Chapin Co. 2,754
W.M. Hoyt Co. 2,252
Gt. A. & P. Tea Co. 2,250
Foote & Knevals 2,000
L.W. Minford & Co. 1,800
Wm. Bayne & Co. 1,755
Indiana Coffee Co. 1,650
W.K. Carson & Co. 1,501
Miller, Smith & Co. 1,500
Rufus Woods 1,498
J.G. Flint 1,345
Davenport & Morris 1,250
Canada 1,140
Westfeldt Bros. 1,000
Edw. Westen T. & S. Co. 800
Corbin, May & Co. 750
F. Cannon & Co. 618
Adam Roth Gro. Co. 500
Scudder, Gale Gro. Co. 500
J.H. Taylor & Co. 500
Wm. B. Willson 500
Dwinell, Wright & Co. 500
Swift, Billings & Co. 500
New Orleans Coffee Co. 500
B. Fischer & Co. 401
Smith & Schipper 300
Ulman, Lewis & Co. 281
Ridenour, Baker Gro. Co. 250
W.H. Minor 250
Nave & McCord Merc. Co. 202
Skiddy, Minford & Co. 196
Rossbach & Bro. 184
L. Wolff 149
Reimers & Meyer 50
W.F. Jackson 5
———
Total 2,791,642

DIRECT IMPORTERS OF BRAZIL COFFEE
_Baltimore, 1894_

_Bags_
E. Levering & Co. 40,965
T.G. Lurman & Co. 29,325
C.M. Stewart & Co. 25,499
Thornton Rollins 21,436
William T. Levering 15,884
Steinwender, Stoffregen 12,852
W.B. Willson 11,540
Hoffman, Lee & Co. 8,953
Rufus Woods 8,020
P.T. George & Co. 7,463
Taylor & Levering 6,440
Benedict & Co. 5,434
Brazil Trading Co. 2,666
C.F. Pitt & Sons 2,505
J.W. Doane & Co. 2,500
Enterprise Coffee Co. 1,811
H.M. Wagner & Co. 504
C.D. Lathrop & Co. 503
Mokaska Manufacturing Co. 500
Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 500
Shinkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 404
G. Amsinck & Co. 400
Indiana Coffee Co. 251
——-
Total 206,355

_Early Days of Green Coffee in New Orleans_

The history of New Orleans as a coffee port may be considered as
beginning with the transfer of Louisiana by Napoleon Bonaparte to the
United States in 1803. In this year, according to Martin’s _History of
Louisiana_, New Orleans imported 1438 bags of coffee of 132 pounds each.
In the latter part of the eighteenth century, settlers in large numbers
had crossed the Allegheny Mountains from the Atlantic states into the
valley of the Ohio River; and their crops of grain and provisions were
exported by means of cheaply constructed rafts and boats, which were
floated down the river to New Orleans, where they were generally broken
up and sold for use as lumber and firewood–there being, at that time,
no power available for propelling them back against the current of the
river.

From 1803 until 1820, on account of the difficulty of navigating
upstream, New Orleans imports did not increase as rapidly as exports. In
1814, however, the first crude steamboat had begun to carry freight on
the river; and by 1820, the supremacy of New Orleans as the gateway of
the Mississippi Valley had been for the time established by this new
means of transportation. The coffee-importing business flourished; and,
from its modest beginning in 1803, grew to 531,236 bags in 1857.

By this time, however, New Orleans had begun to feel the competition of
the Erie Canal, and of the systems of east and west railroad lines which
had been in the course of active construction during the preceding
fifteen years. The railroad systems which had as their ports Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, entered upon a desperate war of
freight rates, each in the endeavor to establish the supremacy of its
own port. As the building of railroads had been entirely east and west,
and no large amount of capital had been invested in north and south
lines, much of the business of the valley was diverted to the Atlantic
ports, apparently never to return to New Orleans.

In 1862, on account of the blockade of the port, not a bag of coffee was
imported through New Orleans, and practically none came in until the
year 1866, when the small amount of 55,000 bags was the total for the
year. At about this time, Boston and Philadelphia became negligible
importing quantities; the business of Baltimore continued to be quite
prosperous; and New York rapidly increased her imports and took the
commanding position.

[Illustration: IN THE NEW ORLEANS COFFEE DISTRICT]

New Orleans had increased her coffee imports to 250,000 bags in 1871,
and the yearly imports continued at about this figure until the last
decade of the century, when the business began to expand. The imports
had reached a total of 337,000 bags in 1893-1894; and of 373,000 in
1896-97. This was the beginning of a new era, and the coffee business of
New Orleans entered upon the period of its greatest growth. Imports were
514,000 bags in 1900-01, and were slightly more than twice that by
1903-04. In 1909-10 the imports had again doubled, and had reached a
total for the twelve months ending July 1, 1909, of slightly more than
2,000,000 bags; while the figures for the calendar year 1909 totaled
2,500,000 bags.

Borino & Bro., 77 Gravier Street, were the largest importers of coffee
in New Orleans in 1869. The principal importers in 1880 were P. Poursine
& Co., Westfeldt Bros., Dymond & Gardes, Schmidt & Ziegler, J.L. Phipps
& Co., Geo. O. Gordon & Co., and Smith Bros.

Shipments were by sailing vessels, a full cargo being about 5000 bags.
Fancy grades, like Golden Rios, washed and peaberries, were shipped in
double bags. Musty coffees were common, and every bag in a cargo was
sampled for must. S. Jackson was first to issue regular manifests. With
the entry of steamers into the coffee transport business, New Orleans
was placed at a disadvantage as steamer rates were about twenty cents a
bag higher to New Orleans than to New York, and imports were limited.
The subsequent revival of the business was due largely to Hard & Rand.
Being unable to obtain steamer rates equal to those quoted in New York,
Hard & Rand chartered steamers for New Orleans; and soon the trade began
to offer cost and freight to New Orleans, and the business grew from
about 350,000 bags of green coffee per annum to 2,500,000 bags.

One of the best remembered names in the green coffee trade of New
Orleans is that of Charles Dittman (1848-1920), who for nearly fifty
years was one of the leading coffee commission merchants of the country.
Mr. Dittman entered the coffee business with Napier & Co., representing
E. Johnston & Co., of Rio de Janeiro. In 1875, upon the death of Mr.
Napier, the firm changed to Johnston, Gordon & Co., later to G.O.
Gordon, and in 1886 to the Charles Dittmann Co. Since his death in
1920, the business has been continued by F.V. Allain and Charles
Dittmann, Jr.

[Illustration: A SECTION OF THE GREEN COFFEE DISTRICT OF NEW ORLEANS

Most of the buildings shown here are occupied by green coffee importing
houses. The one on the right with the balconies is the old Board of
Trade Building]

_Green Coffee in San Francisco_

In the early days of the green coffee business in San Francisco these
names stood out as most important among the coffee importers: Hellmann
Bros. & Co., Montealegre & Co., E.L.G.S. Steele & Co., and Urruella &
Urioste.

From their many friends in Central America, they, and others in their
line, obtained small consignments that were bought by the roasters
according to their immediate needs. Often as many as five or six buyers
would share in a parcel of fifty bags, as they were not in the custom of
filling up the larder for days of want. There always seemed to be
sufficient for every one, and bull movements and corners had not then
become the vogue.

Just as today, the mainstays of the early San Francisco trade were
coffees produced in Costa Rica, Salvador, and Guatemala, although some
were brought from the Colima district of Mexico. The broker had a
comparatively easy job in selling his wares. Samples of the lots would
be given to him in carefully sealed glass bottles, and usually the buyer
would trust his discerning eye to judge correctly the quality of the
goods, not even taking the trouble to uncork the bottle. Size, color,
and imperfections would be his criterion.

The leading coffee importers at San Francisco in 1875 were B.E. Auger &
Co., 409 Battery; S.A. Carit & Co., 405 Front Street; Hellmann Bros. &
Co., 525 Front Street; Adolphe Low & Co., 208 California Street; S.C.
Merrill & Co., 204 California Street; Parrott & Co., 306 California
Street; and Urruella & Urioste, 405 Front Street.

The annual consumption of green coffee in San Francisco in the early
eighties was estimated at 100,000 bags.

A marked change in the coffee business of San Francisco was brought
about by the discovery that the differences in the taste of coffees
could not be accurately detected from their color or from the size of
bean. To Clarence E. Bickford belongs the credit of having discovered
the cup qualities of high-grown Central American coffees. He was
employed at the time by a broker named Hockhofler, and probably did not
realize what far-reaching effect his discovery would have on the future
of San Francisco’s coffee trade; but no other factor has contributed so
much to its growth. When the roasters began to examine coffees for their
taste, values were of course revolutionized. Antiguas, and other
high-grown coffees, that had theretofore been penalized for the small
size of bean, soon brought a premium, and have ever since been in great
demand. It goes without saying that the new classification was of
material assistance to the roasters in bettering their output, as
blending was then put on a scientific basis.

About the middle of the nineties San Francisco began to function as a
distributing center, and shipments were made from there to St. Louis and
Cincinnati. The selection of coffees on their cup merit was undoubtedly
a factor of considerable importance in creating new outlets; although it
is generally conceded that the winning personality of C.E. Bickford
helped considerably. Mr. Bickford, by this time, had succeeded his
former employer. He served the trade by living up to the best standards
of business practise until his death in 1908; when the institution he
founded was continued by E.H. O’Brien under the name of C.E. Bickford &
Co.

[Illustration: CALIFORNIA STREET, THE COFFEE-TRADING CENTER OF SAN
FRANCISCO]

San Francisco imported 175,293 bags of coffee in 1900. Imports had grown
to 256,183 bags by 1906; and the following were the leading importers,
as taken from a compilation by C.E. Bickford & Co.:

IMPORTERS OF COFFEE BY SEA
_San Francisco, 1906_

_Bags_

Haas Bros. 38,947
Otis, McAllister & Co. 34,342
Jno. T. Wright 21,741
Geo. A. Moore & Co. 17,851
Castle Bros. 17,397
Lastreto & Co. 15,609
Bloom Bros. 14,372
W.R. Grace & Co. 14,143
Baruch & Co. 9,400
Schwartz Bros. 7,310
Dieckmann & Co. 6,981
H. Hackfeld & Co., Ltd. 4,466
M.J. Brandenstein & Co. 4,281
Urioste & Co. 4,081
Goldtree, Liebes & Co. 3,962
J.Z. Posadas. 3,950
Mohns-Frese Com. Co. 3,714
Welch & Co. 3,385
Thannhauser & Co. 3,328
E. Mejia 2,965
Hind, Rolph & Co. 2,814
Hellmann Bros. & Co. 2,170
Parrott & Co. 2,137
J.A. Folger & Co. 2,094
S.L. Jones & Co. 2,042
Ariza & Lombard 1,133
Hamberger-Polhemus Co. 1,096
Theo. H. Davies & Co., Ltd. 955
Livierato Frères 927
J.D. Spreckels & Bros. Co. 828
McCarthy Bros. 795
W. Loaiza & Co. 642
Wm. Halla 591
H.W. Burmester 582
Williams, Dimond & Co. 399
M. Phillips & Co. 381
Alexander & Baldwin 358
London, Paris & Am. Bank, Ltd. 333
P.J. Knudsen Co. 309
Ballou & Cosgrove 300
M. Schweitzer & Co. 300
Johnson-Locke Merc. Co. 270
The Lewin-Meyer Co. 250
Sperry Flour Co. 231
Canadian Bank of Commerce 200
Porto Rico Coffee Co. 148
McChesney & Sons 145
Bowring & Co. 145
China & Java Export Co. 140
John Weissman 126
Montealegre & Co. 120
W.H. Miller 109
Maldonado & Co. 105
De Fremery & Co. 100
Sundries 683
——-
Total 256,183

[Illustration: BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO'S COFFEE DISTRICT]

The imports of green coffee at San Francisco in 1914-15 amounted to
about 400,000 bags. The beginning of the World War was almost
coincidental with an energetic campaign waged by San Francisco coffee
interests to popularize Central American coffees, and particularly
Guatemalas, in this country. The time was well chosen, as the world’s
exposition at San Francisco offered a good opportunity to acquaint the
public with the fine qualities of Guatemala growths. Furthermore, it was
necessary to create new markets for these coffees, which in former years
had been very extensively used in Europe. Figures show that San
Francisco’s efforts were crowned with success. In 1916, the importation
increased by fifty percent; and in 1917, importations were double those
of 1915. In 1918, a total of nearly 1,000,000 bags was reached; and this
mark was passed by almost 200,000 in 1919. In 1920, 971,567 bags were
imported.

The origin of San Francisco’s fight for control of Central American
coffee dates back to the years 1908 to 1910, when the German Kosmos Line
was fighting the Pacific Mail for the Central and South American
shipping business. W.R. Grace & Co., at that time, were already the
heaviest shippers of American merchandise to the Latin-American
countries; and while their own steamers were not touching at Central
American ports, they were handling merchandise from the United States
and nitrates from the South American countries in their own bottoms, and
were also engaged as general carriers for that trade. The fight directed
by the Kosmos Line against the Pacific Mail, which at that time was
under the control of the Southern Pacific Company, was accordingly
directed against the Grace interests also, so far as South American
countries were concerned. The fight was long and bitter, and costly to
both sides. At times, the contenders offered to take freight, not only
without charge, but to pay the shipper a premium for the privilege of
carrying his freight.

Differences were finally settled in conference; but the experience
taught the American interests that they could survive in any territory
only if at all times they were able to provide their own cargoes for
their own boats, as had been accomplished with nitrate in South America.
J.H. Rosseter, the Grace manager, who later became well known as
director of operations of the United States Shipping Board during the
war, undertook an extended trip to Central America in 1912 to study the
situation at close range. There was only one product of Central America
that was available in cargo quantities, namely coffee; and naturally his
attention was drawn to the possibility of carrying coffee to San
Francisco to provide return cargoes for ships of the Pacific Mail, or
associated lines, carrying merchandise for the Central American
countries.

While in Guatemala, Mr. Rosseter outlined a future policy in regard to
Central American coffees; the basis being his firm determination that
coffees grown in Central America, and logically and geographically
tributary to San Francisco distribution, should come to San Francisco in
largely increasing quantities.

Up to that time San Francisco had received, on an average, only 200,000
bags of Central American coffee annually for the ten preceding years;
while Europe had received about 1,500,000 bags a year. The quantity
necessary to make San Francisco a factor would call for an importation,
on an average, of 750,000 bags–a quantity almost four times as large as
then established.

This was an extremely ambitious undertaking, considering the conditions
then prevailing in Central America. European countries were firmly
entrenched in the coffee business in Central America, with Germany
leading in Guatemala, France in Salvador and Nicaragua, England and
France contending for superiority in Costa Rica, and the United States
getting only the leavings.

The European countries held their position in the Central American
Coffee trade by liberal financing, and a thorough knowledge of the
varying qualities of coffee produced on the different plantations. San
Francisco, the only important port in the United States dealing in
Central American coffees, had neither strong financial entrenchment in
Central America nor expert knowledge of coffee quality. Year after year,
San Francisco merchants had depended on consignments chosen by the
consignors. This rendered quality selection of coffees by the importers
impossible.

Rosseter, being primarily a steamship man, tackled the proposition from
the standpoint of transportation, figuring that if he could establish
and maintain preferential steamer service to San Francisco, and steady
freight rates, a great step would be accomplished toward the desired
end. This led to his interest in the Pacific Mail Company, of which the
final outcome was his present position as vice-president of the
reorganized Pacific Mail Company. In that capacity he maintained,
practically throughout the entire period of the World War, freight rates
on coffee from Central America to San Francisco that gave that Pacific
port an immediate and definite advantage.

This gave merchants in San Francisco the chance to build up a steady
trade, and prevented other ports in the United States from entering into
serious competition with San Francisco as a distributing point for
Central American coffees. The view taken by Rosseter was as far-sighted
as it was broad. He argued that with the end of the war there would be
no strength in a scattering distribution of Central American coffees by
New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco; and the only promise of
maintenance of the business for the United States would be in
maintaining unity of distribution in one port of the United States,
namely San Francisco.

The first year open to European competition after the war showed that
San Francisco was well able to maintain its lead in Central American
coffees. Today, the mortgages formerly held by European merchants on the
native coffee plantations, and the control thereby of the produce of
these plantations, are in the hands of American merchants; and what is
more, out of general merchandising and importing by merchants of San
Francisco there have developed expert coffee departments in all of the
larger houses. The years of the war brought the product of virtually all
plantations in Central America to the intimate knowledge of these expert
coffee departments; and today the advantage that Europe formerly had–of
knowing exactly what a specific plantation produced–is possessed by
San Francisco merchants.

This is no small advantage when we consider that in Guatemala and Costa
Rica, qualities vary from plantation to plantation, and that often on
adjoining plantations there is from three to five cents a pound
difference in quality, from the standpoint of cup merit.

One can not buy coffee in Central America as in Brazil, as these
countries are not highly organized commercially, and the importers here
are forced to assume the rôle of the Brazilian _commisario_ and banker.
The crop has to be financed from six to nine months before it is brought
to the port; and the securities covering such advances are at best of
questionable value, on account of political insecurity, and the
ever-threatening earthquakes, and the uncertainty of the elements.
Distribution of the coffee after it has been brought to San Francisco
also involves many difficulties, notwithstanding that the demand is
good. This will be better realized when we consider that the Pacific
coast, from Alaska to Mexico, and eastward as far as the Rocky
Mountains, embraces a population of about 8,000,000, whose annual
consumption is estimated at 400,000 bags; and that, as already stated,
treble that quantity was imported to San Francisco in 1919.

In 1900, ninety-nine firms were engaged in the green coffee importing
business (some were roasters also) in New York; six in Philadelphia;
twenty-eight in San Francisco; twelve in New Orleans. In 1920, there
were two hundred and sixteen in New York; thirty-one in San Francisco;
fifteen in New Orleans.

_Green Coffee Trade Organizations_

Previous to the organization of the roasters, the only kind of coffee
organization in this country of more than local importance was the New
York Coffee Exchange, which came into existence in 1881, the
organization meeting being held in the offices of B.G. Arnold & Co., at
166 Pearl Street, New York. The Exchange was incorporated December 7,
1881, the incorporators being Benjamin Green Arnold, Francis B. Arnold,
William D. Mackey, John S. Wright, William Sorley, Joseph A. O’Brien, H.
Clay Maddux, C. McCulloch Beecher, Geo. W. Flanders, and John R.
McNulty. B.G. Arnold was the first president. Soon afterward, rooms were
rented and fitted up for trading purposes at 135 Pearl Street, at the
junction of Beaver and Pearl Streets, and only two blocks away from the
more pretentious structure now housing the Coffee Exchange. Actual
trading operations did not begin until March 7, 1882.

The New York Coffee Exchange was the world’s first coffee-trade
organization of national proportions. Havre’s exchange was inaugurated
in 1882, under the name of the Coffee Terminal Market. Five years later,
coffee exchanges were opened in Amsterdam and Hamburg; while the
exchanges of London, Antwerp, and Rotterdam did not come into existence
until the year 1890. The exchange in Trieste, Italy, was organized in
1905; while the Coffee Trade Association of London was started in 1916.
The first exchange in Santos was started in 1914.

The success of the New York Coffee Exchange led to its imitation in
other coffee ports of the United States. Baltimore started a similar
organization, early in 1883, under the name of the Baltimore Coffee
Exchange; but after a short existence, it petered out. New Orleans
organized a green coffee trading association in 1889, as a coffee
committee of the Board of Trade. It is still active. The Green Coffee
Association of New Orleans, Inc., which is distinct from the Coffee
Committee, was established January 7, 1920. San Francisco did not have a
trading exchange until 1918, in which year the Green Coffee Association
of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce began operations.

_Growth of the Coffee-Roasting Trade_

The wholesale coffee roasting business in the United States seems to
have started in the closing years of the eighteenth century. In
February, 1790, a “new coffee manufactory” began business at 4 Great
Dock Street, New York, and the proprietor announced that he had provided
himself at considerable expense with the proper utensils “to burn, grind
and classify coffee on the European plan.” He sold the freshly roasted
product “in pots of various sizes from one to twenty weight, well packed
down, either for sea or family use so as to keep good for twelve
months.”

A second roasting plant started up at 232 Queen Street, New York, nearly
opposite the governor’s house, toward the close of 1790. This second
coffee roasting plant was known in 1794 as the City Coffee Works. James
Thompson operated a “coffee manufactory” at 25 Thames Street in 1795. In
this year there was also the “Old Ground Coffee Works” in Pearl Street,
formerly Hanover Square, “three doors below the bank at number 110,”
operating “two mills, one pair French burr stones” but no orders were
accepted here for less than six pounds, at “two pence advanced from the
roasting loss.”

Other coffee manufactories followed in the large towns of the new
states; and, always, the coffee was treated “on the European plan.” This
meant that it was “burnt over a slow coal fire, making every grain a
copper color and ridding it all of dust and chaff.” There was usually a
difference in price of three to four pence a pound between the green and
roasted product. Packages of roasted coffee under the half-dozen weight
were sold in New York in 1791 for two shillings and three pence per
pound, allowance being made for grocers at a distance. In those days,
the favorite container was a narrow-mouthed pot or jar of any size. This
was the first crude coffee package. In retailing the product,
cornucopias made of newspapers, or any other convenient wrapping, were
first employed; but, with the introduction of paper bags in the early
sixties, the housekeeper soon became educated to this more sanitary form
of carry package, and its permanence was quickly assured.

The following were listed in Longworth’s _Almanack_ as coffee roasters
in New York in 1805: John Applegate; Cornelius Cooper; Benjamin Cutler,
104 Division Street; George Defendorf, 83 Chapel Street; William Green;
Cornelius Hassey, 14 Augustus Street; Joseph M’Ginley, 28 Moore Street;
John W. Shaw, 43 Oliver Street; John Sweeney, Mulberry Street; Patience
Thompson, 23 Thames Street.

Elijah Withington came from Boston to New York in 1814. He set up a
coffee roaster in an alley behind the City Hall and engaged a big,
raw-boned Irishman to run it. This was the beginning of a coffee
roasting business that has continued until the present day. Withington
dealt in Padang interiors, Jamaica, and West Indian coffees, and
numbered many society folk among his customers. Withington’s business
removed to 7 Dutch Street in 1829: and the firm became Withington & Pine
in 1830.

The roasted coffee business in New York had grown to such proportions in
1833 and gave such promise, that James Wild considered it a good
investment to bring over from England for his new coffee manufactory in
New York a complete power machinery equipment for roasting and grinding
coffee. There was also an engine to run it. It was set up in Wooster
Street opposite the present Washington Square.

Samuel Wilde, son of Joseph Wilde, of Dorchester, Mass., came to New
York about 1840 to make his fortune. He was a young man with vision; and
first applied himself with diligence to the hardware and looking-glass
business. When he found that most of his customers were theaters and
saloons, his religious scruples bade him abandon it, which he did.

Meanwhile, in 1844, Withington’s pioneer roasting enterprise had
admitted Norman Francis and Amos S. Welch as general partners, and
Samuel and Charles C. Colgate as special partners, under the style of
Withington, Francis & Welch. It so continued until 1848, when Samuel
Wilde–who had selected the coffee business as more honorable than the
one in which he started–was admitted, and the firm became Withington &
Wilde.

Mr. Withington retired in 1851, and Samuel Wilde associated with him in
the business his sons Joseph and Samuel, Jr., the title becoming Samuel
Wilde & Sons. Samuel Wilde, Sr., died in 1862. The title then became
Samuel Wilde’s Sons. Joseph Wilde died in 1878, and Samuel Wilde, Jr. in
1890, the business being left to and continuing with a younger brother,
John, from 1878 to 1894, when John’s son, Herbert W. Wilde, became a
member of the firm, which continues the old title at 466 Greenwich
Street, as Samuel Wilde’s Sons Company, having been incorporated in
1902. John Wilde died in 1914.

Another grandson of Samuel Wilde is William B. Harris, who engaged in
the coffee roasting business in Front Street from 1904 to 1917. From
1908 to 1918 he acted as coffee expert for the United States Department
of Agriculture. William B. Harris is a son of Samuel L. Harris, who
married a daughter of Samuel Wilde, and who for a number of years was
connected with Samuel Wilde’s Sons.

[Illustration: PIONEERS IN THE ROASTED COFFEE BUSINESS OF NEW YORK CITY

With approximate dates of their entry into the trade]

Although a number of roasters and grinders for family use were patented
in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century, the
coffee merchants depended almost entirely on English manufacturers for
their wholesale equipment until 1846, when James W. Carter of Boston
brought out his “pull-out” roaster. This machine, and others like it,
encouraged the development of the coffee-roasting business, so that when
the Civil War came, coffee manufactories were well scattered over the
country. The demand for something better in coffee-machinery equipment
was answered by Jabez Burns with his machine for filling and discharging
without moving the roasting cylinder from the fire.

Among the early grocery concerns in New York that were also coffee
roasters were: R.C. Williams & Co., starting as Mott & Williams in 1811,
changing to R.S. Williams & Co. in 1821, to Williams & Potter in 1851,
and to its present title in 1882; Acker, Merrall & Condit Co., founded
in 1820; Park & Tilford, founded in 1840; Austin, Nichols & Co., founded
in 1855; and Francis H. Leggett & Co., founded in 1870.

There were twenty-one “coffee roasters and spice factors” in New York in
1848. Among them were: Beard & Cummings. 281 Front Street; Henry B.
Blair, 129 Washington Street; Colgate Gilbert, 93 Fulton Street; Wright
Gillies, 236 Washington Street; and Withington, Wilde & Welch, 7 Dutch
Street. In this year, two coffee importers, fourteen tea importers, and
forty-one tea dealers were listed in the _City Directory_.

The _Directory_ for 1854 listed twenty-seven coffee roasters and spice
factors, among them, in addition to the above, being Peter Haulenbeek,
328 Washington Street; Levi Rowley, 102 West Street; William J. Stitt,
159 Washington Street; and George W. Wright, 79 Front Street. In those
days not all the wholesale coffee factors were roasters; there was much
trade roasting by a few large plants.

While the coffee-roasting business of Samuel Wilde’s Sons appears to be
the oldest in New York, having descended in a practically unbroken line
from 1814, several others continued considerably past the half-century
mark, and among them special mention should be accorded to: Levi
Rowley’s Star Mills, dating back to 1823; Beard & Cummings, 1834; Wright
Gillies & Bro., 1840; Loudon & Son, the Metropolitan Mills, 1853; and
the Eppens Smith Co., present day successors of Thomas Reid’s Globe
Mills of 1855.

The Star Mills in Duane Street became a real factor in the wholesale
coffee-roasting business on Manhattan Island about 1823. At a later
date, Levi Rowley secured control, and under his able direction the
business flourished. Benedict & Gaffney bought the Star Mills from
Rowley in 1885. A few years later the firm became Benedict & Thomas,
then Thomas & Turner, and finally the R.G. Thomas Co. R.G. Thomas sold
the equipment in 1920, ending the manufacturing end of the business just
about a century from the time it started. Mr. Thomas is now with Russell
& Co. Before being identified with the Star Mills, he was for twenty
years with Packard & James, 123 Maiden Lane.

While still a lad of nineteen, Wright Gillies came from a Newburgh farm
in 1838, and obtained a clerkship in a tea store in Chatham Street, now
Chambers and Duane Street. He branched out for himself in the tea and
coffee business at 232 Washington Street in 1840, removing in 1843 to
236, which had a courtyard where he installed a horse-power coffee
roaster. In the same building, over the store, lived Thomas McNell and
his wife. Mr. McNell afterward became a member of the firm of Smith &
McNell, proprietors of the Washington Street hotel and restaurant, for
many years one of New York City’s landmarks.

The coffee business, thus started by Wright Gillies, is still conducted,
as the Gillies Coffee Co., by the same family and at practically the
same location; and it is interesting to note that the roasting room
still has the original arrangement, partly below the street level but
with the machinery in view from the sidewalk. This arrangement was
characteristic of the old roasting establishments.

[Illustration: GROUP OF OLD-TIME NEW YORK COFFEE ROASTERS, 1892

Standing, left to right, W.H. Eppens, Fred Reid, unknown, Julius A.
Eppens, Fred Eppens. Seated, left to right, John F. Pupke, Thomas Reid,
Henry Mayo, Fred Akers, Alexander Kirkland]

James W. Gillies, a younger brother, came from Newburgh in 1848 to
assist in the enterprise. Young Gillies superintended the horse-power
roaster and drove the light spring delivery cart. Soon the firm became
Wright Gillies & Bro. Fires visited the business in 1849 and in 1858;
but each time it arose the stronger for the experience. Wright Gillies
retired in 1884, and James W. Gillies assumed entire charge under the
name of the Gillies Coffee Co. He continued active until his death in
1899. The business was incorporated by his children under the same name
in 1906.

Edwin J. Gillies, son of James W. Gillies, started a separate coffee
business at 245 Washington Street, in 1882. In 1883 he admitted as a
partner James H. Schmelzel, a fellow Columbia alumnus. The enterprise
was successful for many years, being incorporated under the title of
Edwin J. Gillies & Co., Inc. It was consolidated in 1915 with the
business of Ross W. Weir & Co., 60 Front Street, Edwin J. Gillies
becoming a vice-president (with L. S. Cooper also vice-president) of the
corporation of Ross W. Weir, Inc.

Burns & Brown started in the coffee roasting business in 1853 in an old
building at the corner of Washington and Chambers Streets for which they
paid an annual rental of one thousand dollars. This was the beginning of
the Metropolitan Mills, opposite to the present location of Loudon &
Son, 181 Chambers Street, the latest successors to the business. Burns &
Brown continued for two years, when they failed, and Wright Gillies &
Bro. succeeded, and put in Ebenezer Welsh as manager. Later, Wright
Gillies & Co. sold out the plant to Capt. Edward C. Russell, who
associated with him his son-in-law, Edward A. Phelps, Jr. At the
dissolution of this partnership in 1870, the firm became Trusdell &
Phelps. Mr. Phelps succeeded Trusdell, and sold out to Loudon & Stellwag
in 1877. They were succeeded by Loudon & Johnson in 1879, and this firm
continued until 1910, when James D. Johnson retired, and the firm of
Loudon & Son took charge. These were J. Carlyle Loudon and his son,
Howard C. Loudon, who died in 1911. The firm name of Loudon & Son
continues.

One of the most vigorous personalities of the sixties, and one whose
influence extended well into this generation, was Thomas Reid. Born in
Bridgeport, England, he came to the United States as a boy, and started
his business career as a grocer’s clerk in Brooklyn. Within three months
after landing, he bought out his employer. He entered the wholesale
coffee-roasting business at 105 Murray Street, New York, in 1855, in
partnership with a Mr. Townsend under the style of the Globe Mills,
which were the predecessors of the Eppens Smith Co. now in Warren
Street. Jabez Burns, inventor of the Burns coffee roaster, before this a
teamster for Henry Blair, was at one time bookkeeper for the Globe
Mills. In 1864, Mr. Burns sold to the Globe Mills the first roasters of
his manufacture–two one-bag, four-foot machines that were given a place
alongside of four of the old-style Carter pull-outs.

Mr. Townsend died the first year of the Globe Mills’ existence; and
Thomas Reid continued without a partner until 1863, when he became
associated with John F. Pupke, as Pupke & Reid. The business was then at
269 Washington Street. Thomas Reid was resourceful and enterprising;
also he had vision. He saw the day of package coffee coming, and nearly
“beat” John Arbuckle to it. As early as 1861 we find him advertising in
the _City Directory_, “spices put up in every variety of package.”

Lewis A. Osborn, 69 Warren Street, New York, and 81-83 South Water
Street, Chicago, was advertising “Osborn’s Celebrated Prepared Java
Coffee–put up only by Lewis A. Osborn” in 1863-64. Thomas Reid appears
to have acquired this brand and to have begun its exploitation as
“Osborn’s Old Government Java,” a ground package coffee, and certainly
one of the earliest package coffees. However, this brand never attained
the national vogue achieved by John Arbuckle’s package coffee, which
first appeared in 1865, although the name Ariosa was not given it until
1873.

Between 1855 and 1865 there were only half-a-dozen wholesale coffee
roasters on Manhattan Island, and Thomas Reid was their leader. Much of
his work was roasting for the trade, and this undoubtedly interfered
with the logical development of his package-coffee ideas.

The firm became Pupke, Reid & Phelps in 1882. In 1885, it became the
original Eppens-Smith Co.; later, the Eppens, Smith & Wiemann Co., and
lastly, the Eppens Smith Co. Thomas Reid was vice-president of the
Eppens, Smith & Wiemann Co., and continued in that position until his
death in 1902. Julius Eppens is the present head of the business.

Other package coffees of the sixties were Government coffee put out by
Taber & Place’s Rubia Mills, 353-355 Washington Street, in “tin foil
pound papers,” and L. Bruckmann & Co.’s London Club, packed at 107
Warren Street.

Another old-time New York coffee-roasting business is that of Samuel S.
Beard & Co. This business was founded in 1834 on Front Street by Eli
Beard (father of Samuel S. Beard,) and W.A. Cummings as Beard &
Cummings. In 1872, the firm moved to Duane Street, where it was joined
by Messrs. S.S. Beard and Cottrell, and the new firm became Beards &
Cottrell. Mr. Cottrell retired in 1883, and the firm became Samuel S.
Beard & Co. Upon the death of S.S. Beard in 1905, James H. Murray, who
had been with the concern for many years, became head of the house. Mr.
Murray died six months later. The business moved in 1913 to 92 Front
Street, where it continues as a stock company, with J.R. Westfal as
manager.

Austin C. Fitzpatrick, well known among New York coffee roasters, is a
graduate of the Thomas Reid school, having entered the business of this
pioneer roaster in 1865. He was western salesman for Pupke & Reid until
1871, when he became associated with Rufus G. Story under the firm name
of R. G. Story & Co. Later, he formed a partnership with Howard E. Case,
buying out the old house of Beard & Howell. When Mr. Case retired in
1887, the firm became A.C. Fitzpatrick & Co. This title continued for
twelve years, when the Knickerbocker Mills were taken over, and the
business was incorporated as the Knickerbocker Mills Co., with Mr.
Fitzpatrick as president. The Knickerbocker Mills, acquired by the
corporation, had been founded in 1842 and were for more than forty years
at 154-156 Chambers Street. The business is now at 196-198 Chambers
Street.

[Illustration: JULIUS A. EPPENS, NEW YORK]

Many of the pioneers in the coffee roasting business of this country
were men who came from the British Isles and Germany. A notable figure
from the latter country was Benedickt Fischer, who knew coffee in
Germany before coming to New York in his nineteenth year. He started at
323-329 Greenwich Street, near Duane Street, in 1859. His first roaster
was a primitive affair built under the E.J. Hyde patent by the Coffee
Roaster & Mill Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia. It was turned by hand
by Fischer and his helper. This was about 1862. In 1864, the business
required larger quarters, and was removed to the corner of Duane and
Greenwich Streets. A new plant was erected at the corner of Beach and
Greenwich Streets in 1894, and the present plant was erected at the
corner of Franklin and Greenwich Streets in 1906. Upon the death of
Benedickt Fischer in 1903, the business passed under the control of
William H. Fischer, son of Benedickt, and Benedickt’s son-in-law,
Charles E. Diefenthaler, for many years associated with the house. At
present, the company is a corporation, with C.E. Diefenthaler,
president; T.F. Diefenthaler, vice-president and treasurer; and T.O.
Budenbach, secretary.

Bowie Dash, a commanding figure in the New York green coffee trade,
founded the Holland Coffee Co., roasters, in 1885. He placed H. Bartow
in charge. Mr. Dash himself was never active in the affairs of the
company. J. Bowie Dash, son of Bowie Dash, entered the Holland Coffee
Co. as a boy. Bowie Dash died in 1894. Mr. Bartow left The Holland
Coffee Co. in 1897 and J. Bowie Dash became president. He sold the
company in 1917 to S.B. Morrison, who consolidated it with his Esperanza
Coffee Co. The business is still conducted as the Holland Coffee Co.,
with Mr. Morrison as president, at 162 Front Street.

George Fisher was a well known coffee roaster of the sixties. He began
in the old Hope Mills, 71 Fulton Street, and, at the age of thirty,
entered into partnership with D.C. Ripley, establishing the Hudson
Mills. The firm became Sanger, Beers & Fisher in 1868; Mr. Fisher
retired in 1882; and died in 1896.

Peter Haulenbeek began work as delivery boy in a grocery store. He
entered the coffee business in the sixties in the employ of Wright
Gillies, and went into the wholesale coffee-roasting trade under his own
name at 170 Duane Street in 1876. His son, John W. Haulenbeek, Sr., came
into his father’s business in 1887. Peter Haulenbeek died January 15,
1894, and the firm name was changed to John W. Haulenbeek & Co. The
business remained in the same building up to 1916, when it was moved to
its present location at 393 Greenwich Street. John W. Haulenbeek, Jr.,
of the third generation, is now active in the business.

A leading figure in the sixties was James Brown, who started as an
engineer, rose to a partnership, and retired after the Civil War, a
wealthy man. He was a partner with Thomas Reid in the old Globe Mills.
He was also associated with B. Fischer in the firm of Fischer, Kirby &
Brown, and established the firm of Brown & Scott in Duane Street, where
Peter Haulenbeek succeeded to the business. Afterward, he continued in
the firms of Brown & Jones and Bisland & Brown, and died in 1898.

Van Loan, Maguire & Gaffney was a formidable combination in the
coffee-roasting business in its day. Thomas Van Loan was for thirty
years a partner in the firm of W.J. Stitt & Co. (William J. Stitt was in
business at 173 Washington Street in the fifties). Joseph Maguire was a
practical spice grinder. Hugh Gaffney was with Brown & Scott until the
firm retired in 1879, and for ten years thereafter he traveled for B.
Fischer & Co. Then he became a member of the firm of Benedict &
Gaffney. Ill health caused his temporary retirement; but he returned to
the business in 1897 when he organized the firm of Van Loan, Maguire &
Gaffney. Joseph Maguire died in 1904.

[Illustration: THOMAS VAN LOAN, NEW YORK]

Mr. Gaffney died on March 20, 1912, and the name of the business was
changed to Van Loan & Co., with Thomas Van Loan as the head of the
business, under which name and management it still continues at 64 North
Moore Street.

O’Donohue is a well known name in the development of both the green and
roasted coffee trade of New York City. John O’Donohue was a leader in
the green coffee business in 1830. It was John O’Donohue’s Sons in 1873.
John B. O’Donohue, son of Peter O’Donohue and grandson of the original
John, after leaving John O’Donohue’s Sons, formed a partnership with
Robert C. Stewart (the present head of R.C. Stewart & Co.) to engage in
the green coffee jobbing business as O’Donohue & Stewart. This
partnership was dissolved in 1893. For a few years, John O’Donohue was
associated with the coffee-roasting firm of Wing Bros. & Hart. About
1898, he formed the O’Donohue Coffee Co. at 284 Front Street. In 1910,
this was consolidated with the Potter Coffee Co. and Bennett, Sloan &
Co. to form the Potter, Sloan, O’Donohue Co. The firm dissolved in 1915.
Ellis M. Potter came to New York from the Potter-Parlin Spice Mills in
Cincinnati. Mr. O’Donohue died in 1918.

In the seventies Frederick Akers was proprietor of the oldest and best
known trade roasting establishment in New York. The plant was known as
the Atlas Mills, and was at 17 Jay Street. Mr. Akers died in 1901. The
same year, William J. Morrison and Walter B. Boinest, former employees
of Akers, formed a partnership to carry on the same kind of business at
413 Greenwich Street. It is still at that address under the name of
Morrison & Boinest Co.

Col. William P. Roome, a Chesterfieldian figure among New York coffee
roasters, came into the trade in 1876, when he established the firm of
William P. Roome & Co., with T.L. Vickers as partner. In the Civil War
that had preceded, young Roome (he was then nineteen) had distinguished
himself as a conspicuous hero of the Sixth Army Corps, having entered
the service as a second lieutenant in the Sixty-fifth New York
Volunteers.

William P. Roome & Co. first engaged in the importation of tea, but they
added coffee to the business in 1889. Col. Roome disposed of it in 1903
to assume charge of the tea and coffee department of the Acker, Merrall
& Condit Company, a position which he still holds.

Frederick A. Cauchois, another picturesque figure among New York coffee
roasters, entered the trade as a clerk in the New York office of Chase &
Sanborn in 1875. After further tutelage under Frank Williams in the
coffee brokerage business, he bought the old Fulton Mills (Colgate
Gilbert & Co., 1848), in Fulton Street, where he did some of the most
original advertising for coffee that the trade has seen. His Private
Estate coffee in little burlap bags, his donkey train that carried the
bags of green coffee through the streets of the metropolis, his system
of delivering fresh coffee daily to the grocery trade, and his Japanese
paper filter device to insure the proper making of the coffee, made him
famous. He brought something of the spirit of the old English coffee
house to America, and incorporated it in Keen’s Chop House in New York.
He died in 1918.

The business of Russell & Co. was founded by Robert S. Russell & Frank
Smith at 107 Water Street in 1875. In 1895, S.L. Davis, one of the
present owners, formerly with Merrit & Ronaldson, became a partner. In
1900, Frank C. Russell, son of the senior member, was admitted to a
partnership; and upon the death of his father in 1904, he and Mr. Davis
became owners of the business.

Ross W. Weir, who, in addition to being a successful New York coffee
roaster, has also attained prominence as president of the National
Coffee Roasters Association and chairman of the Joint Coffee Trade
Publicity Committee, handling the million dollar coffee advertising
campaign, was born in New York in 1859, the son of J.B. Weir, one of the
pioneer forty-niners, who at one time was engaged in the export
commission business in San Francisco.

Mr. Weir began his business career as a general utility boy in the
jobbing grocery house of S.H. Williamson, 36 Broadway, New York, in
1875. Then he was a clerk for Park & Tilford, office man with Arbuckle
Bros, and with Geo. C. Chase & Co., tea importers, for two years,
afterward being admitted to a junior partnership. In 1886, the firm of
Ross W. Weir & Co. was formed to engage in the roasting of coffee and
importing and jobbing of teas at 105 Front Street. In 1887, the business
was removed to 58-60 Front Street. When the corporation of Ross W. Weir,
Inc. was formed in 1915 to take over the business of E.J. Gillies & Co.
Inc., Mr. Weir became president and treasurer of the combined
organization.

[Illustration: COL. WILLIAM P. ROOME, NEW YORK]

_Pioneer Wholesale Coffee Roasters_

A reference to other pioneers in the wholesale coffee-roasting trade may
not be amiss here, even though it involves a repetition of some names
that have been given special mention in the case of New York. In the
list that follows are included the most prominent firms and the best
known names that helped make roasted coffee history in the United States
in the nineteenth century, particularly from 1845 to 1900:

NEW YORK. The most prominent firms in the business in New York in the
sixties were: Thomas Reid & Co., Globe Mills; Geo. A. Merwin & Co.; Levi
Rowley, Star Mills; A.B. Thorn; Fischer & Lehmann, later Fischer &
Thurber, and Fischer, Kirby & Brown; Knickerbocker & Cooke; A.D.
Thurber; Wm. J. Stitt & Co.; Samuel Wilde’s Sons.

In the seventies, in addition to most of the above list, there were:
Pupke & Reid; Arbuckle Bros.; Edward A. Phelps, Jr.; Bonnett, Schenck &
Earle; Fischer & Lansing; J.G. Worth; Jackson & Co.; Charles Conway;
Neidlinger & Schmidt; James L. Arcularius; S.M. Beard, Sons & Co.; H.K.
Thurber & Co.; Wright Gillies & Bro.; Bennett & Becker; Great American
Tea Co.; Brown & Scott.

Between 1876 and 1900 the following well known names appeared in the
trade: Frederick Akers; Eppens-Smith Co., afterward Eppens, Smith &
Wiemann Co., and later Eppens Smith Co.; B. Fischer & Co.; R.P. McBride;
Fitzpatrick & Case, afterward A.C. Fitzpatrick & Co.; Great Atlantic &
Pacific Tea Co.; Loudon & Johnson; Edwin Scott; Peter Haulenbeek,
afterward Haulenbeek & Mitchell, and Haulenbeek Roasting & Milling Co.;
Joseph Stiner & Co.; Austin, Nichols & Co.; Bennett, Sloan & Co.;
Gillies Coffee Co.; Benedict & Gaffney, afterward Van Loan, Maguire &
Gaffney; Ross W. Weir & Co.; Union Pacific Tea Co.; Hillis Plantation
Co.; Edwin J. Gillies & Co.; Jones Bros.; Holland Coffee Co.; Samuel
Crooks & Co.; Benedict & Thomas.

[Illustration: PIONEER COFFEE ROASTERS OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN
UNITED STATES

1--W.F. McLaughlin, Chicago; 2--J.G. Flint, Milwaukee; 3--Frank J.
Geiger, Indianapolis; 4--Samuel Mahood, Pittsburgh; 5--Henry A.
Stephens, Cleveland; 6--W.H. Harrison, Cincinnati; 7--Albert A. Sprague,
Chicago; 8--D.Y. Harrison, Cincinnati; 9--William Grossman, Milwaukee;
10--Edward Canby, Dayton; 11--Thomas J. Boardman, Hartford; 12--Francis
Widlar, Cleveland; 13--O.W. Pierce, Sr., Lafayette. Ind.; 14--A.M.
Thomson Chicago; 15--Samuel Young, Pittsburgh; 16--Alvin M. Woolson,
Toledo; 17--Martin Hayward, Boston; 18--George C. Wright, Boston;
19--William Boardman, Hartford; 20--James S. Sanborn, Boston; 21--James
Heekin, Cincinnati; 22--James F. Dwinell, Boston; 23--Caleb Chase,
Boston]

BOSTON. Among the pioneers in the coffee-roasting business in Boston
were: N. Berry & Sons; Blanchard & Bro.; Carter, Mann & Co.; Noah Davis
& Co.; Dyer & Co.; E. Emerson; Flint Bros. & Co.; J.T. & N. Glines;
Hayward & Co.; Geo. W. Higgins & Co.; Hill, Dwinell & Co.; H.B. Newhall;
Richardson & Lane; N. Robinson & Co.; Russell & Fessenden; Stickney &
Poor; E.H. Swett; the Tremont Coffee & Spice Mills; Swain, Earle & Co.;
and the Martin L. Hall Co.

Between 1876 and 1900 these names were among those added: Shapleigh
Coffee Co.; Gilman L. Parker; W.S. Quinby & Co.; Thomas Wood & Co.

Dwinell & Co. and Hayward & Co. both engaged in the coffee roasting
business about 1845. In 1876, they, James F. Dwinell, Martin Hayward,
and his brother-in-law George C. Wright, joined hands under the name of
Dwinell, Hayward & Co. In 1894, Mr. Hayward having previously retired,
the name of the firm was changed to Dwinell, Wright & Co. Mr. Dwinell
died in 1898; and in 1899, Mr. Wright formed a Massachusetts corporation
under the present name, Dwinell-Wright Co. George C. Wright died, 1910,
and his son, George S. Wright, who had been treasurer, became president.
A grandson, Warren M. Wright, and a nephew, G. E. Crampton, together
with R.O. Miller and Charles H. Holland, are active in the present
conduct of the business.

Caleb Chase with Messrs. Carr and Raymond founded the firm of Carr,
Chase & Raymond at 32 Broad Street in 1864. The name was changed to
Chase, Raymond & Ayer in 1871. James S. Sanborn, who had formerly been
in the coffee and spice trade at Lewiston, Me., with a branch office in
Boston, combined with Caleb Chase to form Chase & Sanborn in 1878.
Charles D. Sias was admitted to the firm in 1882. A Montreal office was
opened in 1884. Charles E. Sanborn, son of James S., was admitted in
1888. James S. Sanborn died in 1903, and Charles E. Sanborn died two
years later. Charles D. Sias died in 1913.

Swain, Earle & Co. were established about 1868. In the same year, Byron
T. Thayer entered the employ of the firm as a bookkeeper. He was taken
into partnership in 1884, and upon the death of Mr. Earle, became
managing partner. In 1915, he was the sole surviving partner of the
company. He died in the latter part of 1921; and the business was
absorbed by Alexander H. Bill & Co. in January, 1922.

PHILADELPHIA. The following were the most prominent Philadelphia coffee
roasters in 1861: Grever & Bro.; Henry Hinkle; William Johnston; George
Kelly; Thornley & Ryan; Thornley & Bro.; Vankorn, Guggenheimer & Co.;
D.J. Chapman; Bohler & Weikel; Charles Kroberger; and James R. Webb &
Son.

Later came: Robert J. Rule & Bro.; G. Boyd & Co.; Nutrio Mfg. Co.; C.J.
Fell & Bro.; R.R. & A. Deverall; C. Thomas; William H. Cheetham, Jr.;
Hill & Thornley; George Ogden & Co.; Weikel & Smith; and Alexander
Sheppard.

Between 1876 and 1900 these names appear; Henry A. Fry & Co.; Robert
Smith & Sons; B.S. Janney, Jr. & Co.; and Weikel & Smith Spice Co.

Robert Smith came as a country lad to Philadelphia, and drove a wagon
for Jesse Thornley, a coffee roaster. In a few years, he had secured an
interest in the firm; and in 1860, the name was changed to Thornley &
Smith. Mr. Thornley died in 1872, and Mr. Smith bought out the Thornley
interests and traded as Robert Smith until 1889. In that year, he
admitted his eldest son, Robert A. Smith, into the firm, which became
Robert Smith & Son. William T., another son, was admitted in 1889, the
firm name being changed again to Robert Smith & Sons. Robert Smith, Sr.,
retired in 1902. In the same year his youngest son, George H. Smith, was
admitted to the firm, and it became Robert Smith’s Sons, the active
members being William T. and George H. Smith.

James R. Webb established the coffee roasting business of James R. Webb
& Son in 1833. It was taken over by Alexander Sheppard in 1870. Later it
became Alex. Sheppard & Sons, Inc. Mr. Sheppard died in 1916, and the
business has been conducted by a corporation in which his four children
are the principal stockholders.

CHICAGO. Some pioneers in the Chicago trade were: Alfred H. Blackall;
Excelsior Mills (Downer & Co.); Huntoon & Towner; W.F. McLaughlin;
Knowles, Cloyes & Co.; Thomson & Taylor; H.F. Griswold; G.M. Hall; John
L. Davies & Co.; Bell, Conrad & Webster; Sprague, Warner & Co.; Lee &
Murbach; A. Stephens & Co.; and Whiting, Goeble & Co.

In the period between 1876 and 1900 the following became well known:
Sprague, Warner & Griswold; Reid, Murdoch & Fischer; E.B. Millar Spice
Co.; Wm. M. Hoyt Co.; Franklin MacVeagh & Co.; Sherman Bros. & Co.; H.C.
& C. Durand; A.H. Pratt; McNeil & Higgins Co.; J.H. Bell & Co.; J.H.
Conrad & Co.; Steele-Wedeles Co.; Krag-Reynolds Co.; Arbuckle Bros., and
Puhl-Webb Co.

H.C. Durand organized the wholesale grocery house of Durand & Co. in
1851. Calvin Durand entered the firm in 1879, and the name was changed
to H.C. & C. Durand. Adam J. Kaspar began to work in a retail grocery.
In 1875, he went with the wholesale grocery firm of James Forsythe & Co.
and two years later with H.C. & C. Durand. In 1894, the name was changed
to Durand & Kasper. H.C. Durand died in 1901, and Calvin Durand died in
1911. Durand & Kasper merged, 1921, with Henry Horner & Co. and McNeil &
Higgins into the Wholesale Grocers Corporation.

Samuel A. Downer founded the Excelsior Mills (Downer & Co.) in 1853.
Sidney O. Blair entered the employ of the company in 1871. E.B. Millar &
Co. took over the business in 1878, incorporating under that name in
1882. Mr. Blair retired in 1913, and W.S. Rice was elected president. He
died in 1918, and Mr. Blair was re-elected president; with W.C. Shope,
vice-president; and C.S. Mauran, secretary and treasurer.

In the spring of 1862, Albert A. Sprague came to Chicago from Vermont.
With Z. B. Stetson he formed the firm of Sprague & Stetson, wholesale
grocers. Mr. Stetson retired the following year, and a new partnership
was formed with Ezra J. Warner, under the name of Sprague & Warner. In
1864, O.S.A. Sprague, a young brother of the senior partner, was
admitted to the firm, which was reorganized under the style of Sprague,
Warner & Co. Under this name it has since continued. About the year
1876, machinery was installed, and the roasting of coffee began. Oscar
Remmer entered the employ of the company in 1878 at the age of 16, and
became manager of the mill department in 1895. In 1912, he was made a
member of the board of directors, and was elected vice-president in
1919. O.S.A. Sprague died in 1909, Ezra J. Warner Sr. in 1910, and
Albert A. Sprague in 1915.

In 1865, A.M. Thomson, at that time a salesman for A.H. Blackall, owner
of the American Mills, arranged with a Mr. Berg and a Mr. Davis to go in
the coffee-roasting business with him as Berg, Thomson & Davis. After a
year, however, the name became A.M. Thomson. James Thomson, a brother,
came into the firm in 1868, and it was then called A.M. & James Thomson.
A year later, it became A.M. Thomson again. In 1872, immediately after
the fire, Mr. Taylor, a member of the firm of Whiting & Taylor, joined
Mr. Thomson under the firm name of Thomson & Taylor. They continued the
business under this name about ten years, until it was incorporated in
1883 under the name of Thomson & Taylor Spice Co. Among the wholesale
grocers who became stockholders at that time was W.S. Warfield, of
Quincy, Ill., who, in 1901, with his son, John D. Warfield, bought most
of Mr. Thomson’s holdings and obtained a controlling interest. The name
was changed in 1920 to the Thomson & Taylor Co.

William F. McLaughlin founded the firm of W.F. McLaughlin & Co. in 1865.
He died in 1905; and the business was incorporated with his son, George
D., as president, and another son, Frederick, as secretary and
treasurer.

The Puhl-Webb Company, founded, 1882, as a partnership by Thomas J. Webb
and John Puhl, was incorporated in 1896.

ST. LOUIS. The following were among the pioneer coffee firms of St.
Louis, dating back to the 1860-70 decade: James H. Forbes; Flint, Evans
& Co.; Wm. Schotten & Co.; Fred W. Meyer; H. & J. Menown; Cavanaugh,
Rearick & Co.; and Frederick A. Churchill & Co.

From 1876 to 1900 there were added: Nash, Smith & Co.; Fink & Nasse Co.;
Hanley & Kinsella Coffee & Spice Co.; Flugel & Popp; C.F. Blanke Tea &
Coffee Co.; Steinwender, Stoffregen & Co.; David G. Evans & Co.; and the
Aroma Coffee & Spice Co.

David Nicholson established a tea and coffee business under the name of
the Franklin Tea Warehouse in 1853. A year later, James H. Forbes, born
in Kinross, Scotland, bought out Nicholson. In 1857, A.E. Forbes, his
son, came into the store after school hours, and was admitted to
partnership in 1870. The retail end of the business was dropped in 1880.
Robert M., the younger son of James H., was taken into the firm a few
years after A.E. Forbes. James H. Forbes died in 1890, and the business
has since been carried on by his sons as the James H. Forbes Tea &
Coffee Co. James H. Forbes installed the first Burns roaster in St.
Louis, and always claimed to have been the first man to roast coffee in
the middle west.

William Schotten began his roasting business in 1862, although he had
been in the grocery business since 1847. A short time later, a brother,
Christian Schotten, came to the United States from Germany and was
admitted to partnership, the firm becoming William Schotten & Bro.
Christian died in 1866, and a brother-in-law, Henry Verborg, was
admitted, the name being changed to William Schotten & Co. William died
in 1874, and the business devolved upon his eldest son, Hubertus. In
1878, another son, Julius J., was taken in at the age of 17. Hubertus
died in 1897, and Julius became manager and sole proprietor. He died in
1919. Since that time, his son, Jerome J., has carried on the business,
which continues under the name of the Wm. Schotten Coffee Co.

The firm of David G. Evans & Co. was founded in 1856 by David G. Evans
under the style of Flint, Evans & Co., changed in 1870 to David G. Evans
& Co. David G. Evans died in 1916, and the name of the company was
changed in 1917, to the David G. Evans Coffee Co., with Gwynne Evans, a
son of David G., as president of the corporation.

The George Nash Grocery Co. bought the Eagle Coffee and Spice Mills from
the estate of Mathew Hunt in 1870. About this time Michael E. Smith, who
had been with the concern for a number of years, was made a partner. The
firm was incorporated in 1887 as the Nash-Smith Tea & Coffee Co. George
Nash, Sr., died in 1910.

CINCINNATI. Among the pioneer coffee roasters in Cincinnati were: John
C. Appenzeller; Blook & Varwig; J. Brock; Cincinnati Spice Mills; Eagle
Spice Mills; Harrison & Wilson; Parker & Dixon; Kilgour & Taylor; J.M.
Krout; Succop & Lips; and H.R. Droste.

After the centennial year and previous to 1900, the following names were
added: Potter & Parlin; James Heekin & Co.; Flugel & Popp; Utter, Adams
& Ellen; J. Henry Koenig & Co.; F.W. Hinz; and the Woolson Spice Co.

D.Y. Harrison, then thirty-five years old, came from Newark, N.J., and
settled in Cincinnati in 1843, opening a coffee roasting business as
Harrison & Wilson. He used an old pull-out roaster with first a negro,
and then a horse-power tread-mill, for power. A few years later, W.H.
Harrison, a son of the founder, was admitted to the firm, the name at
that time being Parker & Harrison. D.Y. Harrison died in 1872. Fire
totally destroyed the plant in 1875. W.H. Harrison then formed a
partnership with J.W. Utter, and started in again. He sold out to his
partner in 1883 and went in business for himself as W.H. Harrison & Co.
D.Y. Harrison is said to have been the first man to roast coffee west of
Pittsburg.

The Heekin Company was established in 1870 by James Heekin and Barney
Corbett as a partnership under the name of Corbett & Heekin. In a short
time, Corbett died; and the name of the firm was then changed to James
Heekin & Co. Alexander Stuart was admitted to the partnership about
1883, and retired four years later. James J. Heekin, older son of James
Heekin, was admitted to partnership in 1892. Charles Lewis, after twenty
years’ experience in the coffee trade in Louisville, Cincinnati, and New
York, was admitted to the firm in 1895. James Heekin died in 1904. Upon
his death, a corporation was formed under the name of the James Heekin
Company, with Charles Lewis as president, continuing until he retired in
1919. In this year a new corporation, called the Heekin Company, was
formed, taking over the business of the James Heekin Co. and the Heekin
Spice Co., the latter having been organized in 1899. James J. Heekin was
chosen president of the new company, with Albert E. Heekin,
vice-president; and Robert E. Heekin, secretary and general manager.

[Illustration: PIONEER COFFEE ROASTERS OF THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
UNITED STATES

1--J.B. Sinnot, New Orleans; 2--Julius J. Schotten, St. Louis;
3--Charles Stoffregen, St. Louis; 4--W.T. Jones, New Orleans; 5--J.A.
Folger. jr., San Francisco; 6--M.E. Smith, St. Louis; 7--A.E. Forbes,
St. Louis; 8--David G. Evans, St. Louis; 9--W.J. Kinsella, St. Louis;
10--James H. Forbes, St. Louis; 11--J.A. Folger, Sr., San Francisco;
12--Joseph Closset, Portland, Ore.; 13--J. Zinsmeister, Louisville;
14--Wm. Schotten, St. Louis; 15--A. Schilling, San Francisco; 16--M.J.
Brandenstein, San Francisco; 17--J.O. Cheek, Nashville; 18--A.H. Devers,
Portland, Ore.]

LOUISVILLE. Pioneers in this early center of coffee roasting in the
south were: Thornton & Hawkins; Charles J. Bouche; H.N. Gage; A.
Engelhard; and Jacob Zinsmeister.

R.J. Thornton & Co. were founded in 1837 by Richard J. Thornton and
Thomas Hawkins, as Thornton & Hawkins. Thornton died in 1860. His
interests remained, but the firm changed to Hawkins & Thornton. Hawkins
died in 1877, and Mrs. Thornton, having purchased the Hawkins interest,
ran the business as R.J. Thornton & Co. until her death in 1885. John
Hayes, her son-in-law, then bought the company; and when he died in
1904, his widow ran the business with Thomas A. Crawford as manager.
Mrs. Hayes, the last of the Thornton family, died in 1919, and her
interests were sold to Crawford and R.H. Dorn, an old employee. The firm
first roasted coffee about 1846. It is interesting to note that the
plant has occupied the present site since its founding, eighty-four
years ago.

Albert Engelhard, Sr., founded in 1855 a wholesale grocery house which
later became A. Engelhard & Sons, Inc. In 1879, George; in 1882, Victor
H.; and in 1883, Albert, Jr.; all sons of the founder, entered the
business. Upon moving into larger quarters in 1890, all of the sons were
taken in as partners. Albert Engelhard, Sr., retired in 1892, and the
management was assumed by Victor H. The business increased rapidly, and
in 1897 the firm moved to its present location. Incorporated in 1901,
the wholesale grocery end was abandoned in 1903, and the concern became
a strictly coffee, tea, and spice house. Victor H. Engelhard died in
1918; and his sons, Victor, Jr., and R.W. Engelhard, who had been in the
business for several years, assumed active management. Victor Engelhard,
Sr., was prominent in coffee affairs and in the early work of the
National Coffee Roasters Association.

Jacob Zinsmeister, of J. Zinsmeister & Sons, was another old-time
Louisville coffee man. Before he started roasting, he was a big factor
in the green coffee trade. The business was established in 1866 at New
Albany, Ind., by Frank Zinsmeister, Sr., but was later moved to
Louisville. Jacob Zinsmeister was taken into the business in 1872, and
the name was changed to Frank Zinsmeister & Son. He is still active in
business, although he has turned the management over to his three sons.

NEW ORLEANS. Men and firms active in early coffee roasting in New
Orleans were: Shaw’s Louisiana Coffee and Spice Mills; Ruliff, Clark &
Co.; R. Poursini & Co.; and Smith & McKenna.

Between 1876 and 1900 were added: New Orleans Coffee Co.; Smith Bros. &
Co.; Southern Coffee Polishing Mills; and Cage & Drew.

Smith Bros. & Co. were organized in 1863 as Smith & McKenna. Mr. McKenna
died in 1872, and the firm name was changed to Smith Bros. & Co. The two
Smith brothers died in 1891, and 1892. About 1900, the name became Smith
Bros. & Co., Ltd., and J.B. Sinnot, who had been employed for a number
of years by the firm, gained control. The company failed in 1913. Mr.
Sinnot then entered the coffee brokerage business, in which he remained
until his death in 1917.

Born in New Orleans in 1865, Daniel H. Hoffman started work as a sample
clerk in the office of E.P. Cottraux, who was at that time the only
coffee broker in New Orleans. In 1887, Mr. Hoffman started in business
for himself. In 1894, he opened the Southern Coffee Polishing Mills,
which have since become the Southern Coffee Mills, Inc.

W.T. Jones, for many years in business as a coffee broker in Keokuk,
Iowa, founded the New Orleans Coffee Co. in 1890. He died in 1919.

R.H. Cage and J.C. Drew organized in 1898 the firm of Cage & Drew. In
1900, they established the Louisiana Coffee Mills, under the name and
style of Cage, Drew & Co., Ltd.

Ben C. Casanas joined the New Orleans Coffee Co. as a city salesman, and
later became a road salesman. He withdrew in 1901 to organize the
Merchants Coffee Co. of New Orleans, Ltd.

SAN FRANCISCO. Pioneer coffee roasters in San Francisco were: J.A.
Folger & Co.; Charles Berhard; H. Gates; D. Ghirardelli & Co.; E. Loeven
& Co.; Marden & Myrick; Maine & Eckerenkotter; G. Venard; and Charles
Zwick.

Between 1876 and 1900 the following were added: A. Schilling & Co.; W.H.
Miner; Siegfried & Brandenstein; George W. Caswell.

J.A. Folger & Co. were established in 1850 as Wm. H. Bovee & Co. A few
years later, the name became Marden & Folger, Mr. Folger having been
connected with the old firm. In the early sixties the name was changed
to J.A. Folger & Co. Two employees were taken into the firm in 1878.
These were A. Schilling and a Mr. Lamb. The company was now called
Folger, Schilling & Co. This partnership was dissolved in 1881, and the
business continued as J. A. Folger & Co. Mr. Folger died in 1890, and
the firm was then incorporated under the same name.

Shortly after Folger, Schilling & Co. was dissolved, A. Schilling and
George Volkman formed the firm of A. Schilling & Co. Mr. Schilling began
his career as an office boy with J.A. Folger in 1871.

M.J. Brandenstein and John C. Siegfried formed a co-partnership under
the name of Siegfried & Brandenstein in 1880. Mr. Brandenstein bought
out his partner in 1894, and took in his brothers, Manfred and Edward,
the firm name becoming M. J. Brandenstein & Co.

George W. Caswell started in the retail tea and coffee business in San
Francisco under his own name in 1885. In 1898, the business became
wholesale only. It was incorporated in 1901 as the George W. Caswell Co.
The company took over the brands and travelling organization of Lievre,
Frick & Co., which went into a dissolution of partnership in 1902.

MILWAUKEE. Prominent among early coffee roasters of Milwaukee were: W. &
J. G. Flint; James Ryan & Co.; J.B. Reynolds; Jewett & Sherman; and C.E.
Andrews & Co. Later we find added the Wm. Grossman Co.

J.G. Flint and Wyman Flint founded the business known as W. & J.G. Flint
in 1858. J.G. Flint bought out his brother in 1880 and continued as the
J.G. Flint Co., owner of the Star Coffee and Spice Mills. He died in
1896. The business was incorporated in 1901 as the J.G. Flint Co., with
W.K. Flint, a son of J.G., as president. The Jewett & Sherman Co. took
control in 1911.

Professor Milo P. Jewett, Professor S.S. Sherman, and his brother,
William Sherman, founded the firm of Jewett, Sherman & Co. in 1867, and
continued under that name until 1875, when it was incorporated as Jewett
& Sherman Co., with Milo P. Jewett as president, and Henry B. Sherman,
secretary and treasurer. Professor S.S. Sherman and his sons, Fred and
Henry B., sold out their interests in 1878 and formed a new business in
Chicago under the name of Sherman Bros. & Co. William M. Sherman then
became president of Jewett & Sherman Co., and Charles A. Murdock, a
nephew of S.S. and William Sherman, was made secretary and treasurer.
Mr. Murdock withdrew in 1881 and established the C.A. Murdock Mfg. Co.
in Kansas City. In that same year, William H. Sherman, another nephew,
became a stockholder and one of the directors of Jewett & Sherman Co.
Dr. Lewis Sherman succeeded his father as president of the company in
1891, and served in that capacity until his death in 1915, when he was
succeeded by his son, Lewis Sherman, who is president of the company at
the present time (1922). John Horter, who is now secretary, joined the
business in 1877.

William Grossman started in the wholesale grocery business in 1886. John
and Henry Dahlman were admitted to partnership in 1889. About three
years later, the latter closed out his interests to J.F.W. Imbusch. The
present corporation was established in 1892 as Wm. Grossman & Co. The
firm was incorporated August 1, 1916, as the Wm. Grossman Co., with Wm.
Grossman as president, George A. Grossman as vice-president, and Paul E.
Apel as secretary and treasurer.

Another old-time coffee man of Milwaukee was Charles A. Clark, who had
been in the coffee business for nearly twenty years before he organized
the present business of Clark & Host Co.

TOLEDO. The pioneer roasting firms here seem to have been: Warren &
Bedwell; and J.B. Baldy & Co. Later, after 1876, we find added the Bour
Company, and the Woolson Spice Co.

The latter company was founded in 1882 by A.M. Woolson, who up to that
time had conducted a successful retail grocery business for several
years. The Woolson Spice Co. was sold to H.O. Havemeyer of New York in
1896, the reputed sale price being $2,000,000. A.M. Woolson retired from
business at that time. Upon the death of Mr. Havemeyer, the company
passed into the hands of Hermann Sielcken; and when he died, an
American company secured control.

[Illustration: GROUND COFFEE PRICE LIST OF 1862]

The Bour Company was incorporated in 1892, following a partnership which
had succeeded to a small business concern under the name of the Eagle
Spice Company. The principal stockholders were: J.M. Bour, F.G.
Kendrick, and Albro Blodgett. Mr. Blodgett bought the Bour interests in
1909 and with S.W. Beckley, who had been sales manager for a number of
years, acquired practically all the other outside interests. The name
was changed in 1921 to the Blodgett-Beckley Co., the officers being
Albro Blodgett, president, S.W. Beckley, vice-president and manager, and
Henry P. Blodgett, secretary and treasurer.

CLEVELAND. Pioneers in Cleveland were: Smith & Curtis; A. Stephens &
Sons; John H. Ganse; and W.D. Drake & Co. In 1870, we find Edwards,
Townsend & Co.; Knight, Eberman & Co.; Talbot, Winslow & Co.; Williams &
Tait; and Lemmon & Son, added.

Beards & Cummings, coffee roasters of New York City, established a
branch in Cleveland under the management of Alvan Stephens in 1855.
Later, Stephens took over the business for himself and changed the name
to Frisbie & Stephens. In 1861 Alvan’s sons, Henry A. and Samuel R.,
were admitted and the firm became A. Stephens & Sons. Alvan Stephens
died in 1873, and Samuel moved to Chicago to open a branch. He died in
1878. Henry A. continued the business until 1881, when Francis Widlar
was admitted to partnership, and the name was changed to Stephens &
Widlar. Henry A. Stephens died in 1897, and A.L. Somers, H.H. Hewitt,
and D.D. Hudson, all old employees, were admitted, and the firm name was
changed to F. Widlar & Co. Carl W. Brand, a nephew of Francis Widlar,
joined the company in 1898. Upon the death of his uncle, the business
was incorporated as the Widlar Co., and Mr. Brand became president in
1910.

PITTSBURGH. Next to New York, Pittsburg was one of the first cities to
forge to the front as a coffee-roasting center. These are the firms that
were among the leaders in the period between 1860 and 1870: Arbuckles &
Co.; W.T. Bown & Bro.; Dilworth Bros.; Rinehart & Stevens; T.C. Jenkins
& Bro.; Carter Bros. & Co.; J.S. Dilworth & Co.; Jesse H. Lippincott;
Shields & Boucher; and Haworth & Dewhurst.

Samuel Young, Samuel Mahood, and E. B. Mahood formed a partnership as
Young, Mahood & Co. in 1879. E.B. Mahood withdrew in 1890. Samuel Mahood
retired in 1906, and the company was incorporated as the Young-Mahood
Company, with Samuel Young as president, and W. James Mahood as
vice-president and general manager.

PORTLAND, OREGON. Early roasters in the trade of this city were: J.F.
Jones; H. C. Hudson & Co.; Marden & Folger; Verdier & Closset; and
Closset & Devers.

Joseph and Emile Closset formed a partnership as Closset Bros, in 1880.
A.H. Devers, who had been a salesman with Folger, Schilling & Co., San
Francisco, and later with A. Schilling & Co., bought out Emile Closset
in 1883, and the firm became Closset & Devers. Joseph Closset died in
1915.

BALTIMORE. Pioneer roasters in Baltimore were: Joseph Braas; Daniel
Many; George Pearson; Sylvester Ruth; and John G. Siegman. These were
quickly followed by Barclay & Hasson; Zoller & Little; Benjamin Berry;
Jesse Lazear; and others.

Later, after 1876, came: E. Levering & Co.; the Enterprise Coffee Co.;
C.D. Kenny; J.W. Laughlin & Co., now Le Morgan Coffee Co.; and the Saxon
Coffee Company.

DETROIT. In Detroit in 1860-70 were: Evans & Walker; Farrington,
Campbell & Co.; A.R. & W.F. Linn; J.H. Riggs; and Palmer, Warner & Co.
After 1876 were added Sinclair, Evans & Elliot; Huber & Stendel; and
J.A. Parent & Co.

OTHER CITIES. Names of pioneer roasters of other towns in 1860 and 1870
were: George Boardman, Albany, N.Y.; Chubuck & Saunders, Binghamton,
N.Y.; George W. Hayward, and P.J. Ferris, Buffalo, N.Y.; Lorimore Bros.,
and George R. Forrester, Elmira, N.Y.; Hatch & Jenks, Jamestown, N.Y.;
N.B. Beede, Newburgh, N.Y.; A.F. Booth, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Ethridge,
Tuller & Co., Rome, N.Y.; M.N. Van Zandt & Co., L.B. Eddy & Co., and
C.T. Moore, Rochester, N.Y.; Ostrander, Loomis & Co., and Jacob Crouse &
Co., Syracuse, N.Y.; C.H. Garrison, Troy, N.Y.; Hinchman & Howard, and
J. Griffiths & Co., Utica, N.Y.; B.F. Hoopes, Bloomington, Ill.; C.P.
Farrell, and Charles Richards, Peoria, Ill.; Slemmons & Conkling,
Springfield, Ill.; Henry Wales, Bridgeport, Conn.; A.B. Gillett, Wm.
Boardman & Sons, Hartford Steam Coffee & Spice Mills, and Park, Fellowes
& Co., Hartford, Conn.; Benj. Peck & Kellum, and Steele & Emery, New
Haven, Conn.; W.S. Scull & Co., Camden, N.J.; Theo. F. Johnson & Co.,
and the Pioneer Mills, Newark, N.J.; Charles A. Dunham, New Brunswick,
N.J.; James Ronan and Wm. Dolton & Co., Trenton, N.J.; Butler, Earhart &
Co., Columbus, Ohio; C.A. Trentman & Bro., and J.D. Beach & Co., Dayton,
Ohio; W. & S. Stevens, and F.C. Dietz, Zanesville, Ohio; J.E. Tone, Des
Moines, Iowa; H.P. Hess, Cornell & Smith, and E. Warne, Easton, Pa.;
E.S. Forster, Erie, Pa.; Haehnlen Bros., Harrisburg, Pa.; D.G.
Yuengling, Pottsville, Pa.; A. G. Zilmore & Co., Scranton, Pa.; Granger
& Co., Titusville, Pa.; Huestis & Hamilton, and B. Trentman & Son, Ft.
Wayne, Ind.; S. Hamill & Co., Keokuk, Ia.; H.H. Lee, and Maguire &
Gillespie, Indianapolis, Ind.; Joseph Strong, Terre Haute, Ind.; Curtis
& Burnham, Leavenworth, Kan.; Yates & Dudley, Lexington, Ky.; A. Turner,
Wheeling, W. Va.; Granger & Hodge, and Nathaniel Crocker, St. Paul,
Minn.; W.W. Totten & Bro., Nashville, Tenn.; Henry Burns, Savannah, Ga.;
A. McFarland, Springfield, Mass.; Alexander Wills & Co., Montreal,
Canada; and Peter Hendershot, St. Catherine, Canada.

Between 1876 and 1900, many other names came into prominence, and among
them mention should be made of: H. Hulman, Terre Haute, Ind.; A.B. Gates
& Co., and Schnull & Krag, Indianapolis, Ind.; O.W. Pierce Co., and
Geiger-Tinney Co., Lafayette, Ind.; Twitchell, Champlin & Co., Portland,
Me.; Nave-McCord Mfg. Co., Mokaska Mfg. Co., and the Midland Spice Co.,
St. Joseph, Mo.; Beaham-Moffatt Mfg. Co., and C.A. Murdock & Co., Kansas
City, Mo.; Clarke Bros. & Co., T. S. Grigor & Co., Consolidated Coffee
Co., and McCord, Brady Co., Omaha, Neb.; Dayton Spice Mills Co., and
Canby, Ach & Canby, Dayton, Ohio; Ohio Coffee & Spice Co., and Butler,
Crawford & Co., Columbus, Ohio; Bacon, Stickney & Co., Albany, N.Y.;
Charles R. Groff Co., St. Paul, Minn.; John G. Schuler, Covington, Ky.;
J.W. Thomas & Son, Nashville, Tenn.; Geo. F. Hanley & Co., Los Angeles,
Cal.; C.S. Morey Mercantile Co., Denver, Col.; and W.G. Lown Coffee Co.,
Washington, D.C.

William Boardman, founder of Wm. Boardman & Sons Co., Hartford, Conn.,
began roasting coffee at Wethersfield in 1841 with a hand-power roaster,
using wood for fuel. He moved his plant to Hartford in 1850. In the same
year, his son Thomas J., after serving a fifteen-year apprenticeship in
a country store, entered his father’s employ. Three years later, he and
his brother, William F.J. Boardman, were admitted to the firm, the name
being changed to Wm. Boardman & Sons. Howard F. Boardman, a son of
Thomas J., began working in the business in 1880, and was admitted to
partnership in 1888. The same year, the founder died and William F.J.
retired. The business has since been conducted by Thomas J. and Howard
F. Boardman.

The company was incorporated in 1898, and John Pepion was admitted. The
president of the company, Thomas J. Boardman, is at the time of writing
ninety years old. He still takes a very active interest in the
business, and his “cup sense” is as acute as ever.

The O.W. Pierce Company, Lafayette, Ind. was founded in 1847 by Oliver
Webster Pierce, Sr. Except for three years in the fifties, when the firm
was known as Reynolds, Hatcher & Pierce, it has been known as the O.W.
Pierce Company since it was established. The company was incorporated in
1905 with O.W. Pierce, Jr. as its head. The senior Mr. Pierce died in
1921. The firm first roasted coffee in 1891. Prior to that time it had
been in the wholesale grocery business.

The William S. Scull Co., Camden, N.J., was established in 1858 by
William S. Scull, whose father had been in the retail tea and coffee
business. William Scull died in 1916. H. Newmark founded H. Newmark &
Co. in Los Angeles in 1865. He retired in 1886, and Maurice H. Newmark
was made a full partner. The present name is M.A. Newmark & Co.

In 1868, Major David B. Hamill entered, as junior partner, the firm of
S. Hamill & Co., Keokuk, Iowa, of which his father, Smith Hamill, was
the head. Smith Hamill died in 1890, and David B. became head of the
firm. He died in 1916.

William Tackaberry was a junior partner in the firm of S. Hamill & Co.,
Keokuk, Iowa. He began a business of his own in the same city in 1868.
Ten years later, he moved the company to Sioux City, and continued there
as the Wm. Tackaberry Co.

Joel O. Cheek began traveling for the wholesale grocery house of Webb,
Hughes & Co., Nashville, Tenn., in 1873. Later, he was admitted to
partnership, the firm becoming Webb, Cheek & Co., and then Cheek, Norton
& Neal. He formed the Nashville Coffee & Mfg. Co., in 1899. It was
merged in 1901 into the Cheek-Neal Coffee Co.

Jekiel and Isaac E. Tone began the business of Tone Bros. at Des Moines,
Iowa, in March, 1873, with one roaster and one spice mill. The business
was incorporated in 1897. Jekiel Tone died in 1900, and Isaac E. Tone in
1916. The business is now (1922) carried on by W.E. and Jay E. Tone.

Edward Canby began business in Dayton, Ohio, in 1875, succeeding the
firm of J.D. Beach & Co. He retired in 1886, and the business was left
in charge of Frank L. Canby and P.J. Ach. The latter had entered the
employ of Canby in 1877. He secured an interest in the business in 1882,
and became a partner in 1890. When the company was incorporated as
Canby, Ach & Canby in 1904, he was elected president. Mr. Ach has been
very prominent in the affairs of the National Coffee Roasters
Association since its organization.

Frank J. Geiger began in the tea, coffee, and spice business in
Lafayette, Ind., under the name of Culver & Geiger. Mr. Culver, who had
never been active, died in 1889, and in 1892 the Geiger-Tinney Company
was formed with F.J. Geiger as president. The plant was moved to
Indianapolis in 1901 with William L. Horn as vice-president, and Henry
C. Tinney as secretary and treasurer. The name was changed to the
Geiger-Fishback Co. in 1912, and Mr. Geiger retired. Frank S. Fishback
acquired all the stock of the company in 1918, and the name was changed
to the Fishback Co. with F.S. Fishback, president; John S. Fishback,
treasurer; and F. C. Fishback, secretary.

S. Holstad joined the Thomson & Taylor Spice Co of Chicago in 1892. He
left in 1901 and went to Minneapolis, where he became a member of the
firm of Atwood & Hoisted. He withdrew in 1908 to form the firm of S.
Holstad & Co., with Charles Ekelund and Alexander W. Kreiser as
partners. After the withdrawal of Mr. Holstad from Atwood & Holstad, Mr.
Atwood continued as Atwood & Co.

F.P. Atha began work as a coffee salesman with Holman & Co., Terre
Haute, Ind. He went to San Francisco in 1899 and entered the employ of
J.A. Folger & Co., and introduced Folger products east of the Rockies.
He opened the Kansas City branch in 1907; and a year later, he was
admitted to the firm and made vice-president and general manager.

_The National Coffee Roasters Association_

The first effort to organize the coffee roasters of the United States
dates back to 1885, when several St. Louis coffee roasters came together
in a kind of gentlemen’s agreement not to cut the price of roasting
green coffee, which had declined, owing to ruthless competition, from
$1.00 to 10 cents a bag. The various parties to the agreement posted
$500 checks each as forfeits, not to violate the price as fixed. After
one year, a check was cashed; but the principal claimed his lapse was
clerical and not in violation of the agreement. However, as a result of
the argument that followed, the organization was disbanded.

[Illustration: MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL
COFFEE ROASTERS ASSOCIATION, ST. LOUIS, MAY 26, 1911

Reading from left to right: W.B. Johnson, St. Louis; W.T. Jones, New
Orleans; George Schulte, St. Louis; C.F. Blanke, St. Louis; Ben Casanas,
New Orleans; Carl Stoffregen, St. Louis; Edward D. Hanly, Kansas City;
H.C. Grote, St. Louis; James Menown, St. Louis; Frank P. Atha, Kansas
City; Henry Petring, St. Louis; J.M. McFadden, Dubuque, Iowa; Joseph
Maury, Memphis; T.F. Halligan, Davenport; F.J. Ach, Dayton; Carl Brand,
Cleveland; Wm. Fisher, St. Louis; M.H. Gasser, Toledo; Julius J.
Schotten, St. Louis; E.W. Bockman, Paducah, Ky.; Louis Christopherson,
St. Louis; Felix Coste, St. Louis; W.E. Tone, Des Moines; Robert Meyer,
St. Louis; Fred Roth, St. Louis; M.E. Smith. St. Louis; J.B.
Dubrouilett, St. Louis; Floyd Norwine, St. Louis]

As early as 1900, leaders of the trade’s best thought began to urge the
need of a national organization among coffee roasters.

As a result of informal meetings between men like Robert M. Forbes,
Julius J. Schotten, Robert Meyer, and Messrs. Roth and Homeyer, around
the luncheon table in St. Louis, to discuss trade abuses and bring about
better trade co-operation, the subject of a St. Louis organization of
coffee roasters began to be agitated about 1906. It was not until four
years later, however, that the idea took definite form.

On September 14, 1910, the Traffic Association of St. Louis Coffee
Importers was organized, starting out with a membership of ten firms,
its chief object being to obtain an adjustment of freight rates to and
from St. Louis as advantageous as those prevailing for Chicago and New
York.

This association–of which Robert Meyer was the first president, and
H.L. Homeyer, vice-president, J.S. Hartman, secretary, and G.H. Petring,
treasurer–was the forerunner of the National Coffee Roasters Traffic
and Pure Food Association organized in 1911 and now known as the
National Coffee Roasters Association.

At the organization meeting of the national association twenty-six
coffee-roasting establishments in the Mississippi Valley were
represented at the conference held May 26-27 in the Planters Hotel, St.
Louis. The objects of the new body were announced in the constitution,
as:

_First_: To foster and promote a feeling of fellowship and good
will among its members, and on broad and equitable lines to advance
the welfare of the coffee trade and the consumer.

_Second_: To eliminate or minimize abuses, methods and practises
inimical to the proper conduct of business.

_Third_: To assist in the enactment and enforcement of uniform pure
food laws which in their operations shall deal justly and equitably
with the rights of the consumer and the trade.

The association started with these officers: Julius J. Schotten, St.
Louis, President; M.H. Gasser, Toledo, vice-president; W.E. Tone, Des
Moines, treasurer, and W.J.H. Bown, St. Louis, secretary.

Meanwhile, as a result of an agitation started by _The Tea and Coffee
Trade Journal_, a meeting of New York and eastern coffee roasters was
called at the Fulton Club, New York, October 27, 1911, to discuss plans
for a national organization. M. H. Gasser attended this meeting, and
told of the plan of the western roasters to organize such an
organization at a meeting called for Chicago the following month. The
promoters of the eastern organization subsequently abandoned their
efforts in favor of the western group.

[Illustration: ROBERT MEYER, ST. LOUIS

First president of the Coffee Roasters' original organization]

At the first convention of the National Coffee Roasters Traffic and Pure
Food Association, held in Chicago, November 16-17, 1911, all the
foregoing officers were retained, the office of second vice-president
was created, and Frank R. Seelye was selected to fill it.

That the organization idea was popular among the roasters was evident
from the fact that at the close of the convention it was announced that
the membership was then seventy-one firms in cities as far east as
Virginia and as far west as Kansas City. The convention demonstrated
that the association was really a national organization, which quieted
suspicions prevalent in some quarters of the trade in the east that it
was chiefly a Mississippi Valley unit.

The first convention is remembered principally because of Hermann
Sielcken’s defense of the Brazil coffee valorization plan, which was
then the big question of the coffee trade. The titles of some of the
other addresses will serve to indicate how the scope of the association
had enlarged since its organization a few months before: “An Attack on
Valorization” by Thomas J. Webb, of Chicago; “Uniform Food Laws”, by
W.T. Jones, of New Orleans; “Penny-Change Systems,” by R.W. McCreery, of
Marshalltown, Ia; “Traffic and Freight Abuses,” by W.E. Tone, of Des
Moines; “Transportation Problems,” by Carl H. Stoffregen, St. Louis;
“Coffee Publicity,” by F.H. Henrici, of Chicago; “Coffee Roasters’ Costs
and Accounting,” by F.J. Ach, Chicago. The first convention proved a
success, and attracted attention.

The second annual convention, held in New York, November 13-15, 1912,
showed that the association had grown to a membership of 135 firms
located in all parts of the country, and that its influence had extended
throughout the whole trade. Valorization continued to be a much
discussed subject. Hermann Sielcken and others again defending it in
speeches; but the majority of the association seemed opposed to the
scheme. Probably the most important feature of the convention was the
report of the committee of nine men who had visited Brazil to
investigate conditions there and to interest the Brazilian coffee
growers in an advertising campaign. An address on this subject was made
by the editor of _The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal_, in which he
suggested a plan for propaganda and advocated scientific research to
find out the truth about coffee.

The election of officers resulted in the selection of F.J. Ach, Dayton,
as president; Frank R. Seelye, Chicago, first vice-president; Ross W.
Weir, New York, second vice-president; and Robert Meyer, St. Louis,
treasurer.

The 1912 convention changed the name of the association to the National
Coffee Roasters Association, dropping the words “Traffic and Pure Food”
from the original title.

[Illustration: JULIUS J. SCHOTTEN--1911-12]

[Illustration: F.J. ACH--1912-14]

[Illustration: ROSS W. WEIR--1914-16]

[Illustration]

[Illustration: FRANK R. SEELYE--1916-17]

[Illustration: BEN C. CASANAS--1917-18]

[Illustration: CARL W. BRAND--1918-21]

[Illustration: FORMER PRESIDENTS, NATIONAL COFFEE ROASTERS ASSOCIATION]

The third convention, which was held November 12-14, 1913, in
Cincinnati, demonstrated that the scope of usefulness of the association
was still growing, as shown by the resolutions which approved better
coffee-making publicity; favored a national coffee day; urged the
appointment of inspectors at ports of entry to prevent the importation
of green coffee under government standard No. 8; condemned the excessive
watering of coffee and all coffee coatings; and provided for the
appointment of an agent to visit Brazil to furnish members with
“reliable” reports on crop flowering.

F.J. Ach was re-elected president; Ross W. Weir succeeded F.R. Seelye as
first vice-president; W.T. Jones succeeded Mr. Weir as second
vice-president, and Robert Meyer was retained as treasurer.

Secretary G.W. Toms, who had been appointed in April, 1913, reported
that the association had made a net gain of thirteen members, bringing
the total up to 144.

The membership of the association had been increased by twenty names
when the fourth annual convention was opened in New Orleans, November
16-19, 1914, making the total 164.

Better coffee making, roasting economies, a national coffee week, and
improved methods of handling green coffee in ports and warehouses, were
the principal topics considered at the 1914 meeting. As a result of the
discussions, the association went on record in its resolutions as being
against the misbranding of both green and roasted coffee; favored the
creation of a United States board of coffee experts; and the
establishment of an association trade-mark bureau.

For the ensuing year Ross W. Weir, New York, was chosen president; J.O.
Cheek, Nashville, first vice-president; T.F. Halligan, Davenport, second
vice-president; and W.T. Morley, Worcester, treasurer.

The decision to get together on a comprehensive national publicity
campaign in the interest of coffee was the outstanding feature of the
fifth annual convention, which was held in St. Louis, November 8-11,
1915, in the same room in the Planters Hotel in which the association
was organized in 1911. From a body of twenty-six roasters, the
association had grown in five years to a membership of 201 firms and
individuals.

Among the more important things done at this convention was the decision
to undertake a practical publicity plan to advertise coffee; the
adoption of a uniform cost-and-freight contract; the proposal to prepare
educational matter on coffee for the schools; and the recommendation to
employ a chemist to carry on research work. There were spirited
discussions also on gas, coal, and coke as roasting fuels; on the best
way to get retailer co-operation, and whether it was advisable to
continue the national coffee week idea. President Weir, Vice-Presidents
Cheek and Halligan, and Treasurer Morley were re-elected.

The sixth annual convention, held in Atlantic City, November 14-17,
1916, placed emphasis on research into grinding and brewing; on plans
for doing something practical to help grocers regain their lost coffee
trade; and on an investigation into the scientific costs of roasting.
The admittance of green coffee and allied interests into the association
was also discussed, and it was resolved to make the subject an order of
business for special consideration at the next convention.

At this meeting Frank R. Seelye, Chicago, was elected president; Ben C.
Casanas, New Orleans, first vice-president; J.M. McFadden, Dubuque,
second vice-president; and M.H. Gasser, Toledo, treasurer. The
membership was reported as being 204, showing a net increase of three
during the year.

The seventh convention, held in Chicago, November 14-15, 1917, came when
the first movement of American soldiers to European battlefields was
begun, and patriotism was the keynote of the meeting. Because of the
stress of the times, the program was cut to two days, instead of the
three days of former meetings.

The outstanding features of the convention were: the decision not to
admit green coffee men to the association; the decision to establish a
permanent headquarters; the announcement that Brazil was then collecting
funds for its part in the national advertising campaign; and the
proposal by John E. King, Detroit, that the term “lead number” be used
instead of “caffetannic acid”, which he asserted was a misnomer. The
executive committee was authorized to employ a secretary-manager. The
shorter terms and credits idea was endorsed by the association.

These officers were elected for the next year; Ben C. Casanas, New
Orleans, president; S.H. Holstad, Minneapolis, first vice-president;
Edward Aborn, New York, second vice-president; M.H. Gasser, Toledo,
treasurer.

The influenza epidemic, which swept the country the latter part of 1918,
caused the postponement of many business and public gatherings, and the
eighth annual roasters convention did not assemble until December 5-6,
in Cleveland–at only ten days’ notice. Unlike previous occasions, this
was in reality a combined convention of all roasted and green coffee men
in the trade, both association members and non-members. No regular
program was followed, the meeting being somewhat in the character of a
trade conference.

The salient features of the convention were the decisions: to double the
annual dues, in order to provide for a paid secretary-manager and to
establish permanent headquarters; to organize a spice grinders’ section;
and to ask the government to remove all restrictions on coffee trading.
The Food Administration’s coffee regulations came in for severe
criticism.

The election of officers resulted in Carl W. Brand, Cleveland, becoming
president; Robert M. Forbes, St. Louis, first vice-president; J.A.
Folger, San Francisco, second vice-president; and Lewis Sherman,
Milwaukee, treasurer.

The ninth convention of the National Coffee Roasters Association was of
greater import to all branches of the coffee trade than any that had
preceded it. The results of the meeting showed the association had gone
far since the organization meeting in St. Louis in 1911. As in 1916, the
convention was held in Atlantic City, November 12-14, 1919, and drew
delegates from as far west as San Francisco and Seattle.

The most important subjects before the meeting were the reports of the
Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee, read by Ross W. Weir, chairman,
and Felix Coste, secretary-manager. The committee had been organized
during the year to carry on the national coffee-advertising campaign,
and announced at the convention its publicity plans for the next year,
which included a national coffee week, a national showing of the
committee’s coffee film, and the issuance of several educational
booklets. Other outstanding features included the description of how the
association planned to conduct a research into the cost of doing a
wholesale coffee-roasting business, the investigation to be made by
Columbia University; addresses attacking the meat packers’ invasion of
the coffee roasting and distributing field; a paper, and discussions, on
shorter terms and uniform discounts; the recommendation to employ a
traveling field secretary who would hold periodical meetings with local
branches; and the condemnation of guaranteeing prices against decline
and giving advance notices of changes of prices.

The convention unanimously agreed to the re-election of President Brand,
Vice-Presidents Forbes and Folger, and Treasurer Sherman.

The tenth annual meeting was held in St. Louis, November 10-12, 1920.
Scientific cost finding, short terms and discounts, the national
advertising campaign, the activities of the N.C.R.A. freight-forwarding
bureau, and laboratory-research were the main topics of this years’
gathering. The membership was reported to be 310. A feature of the
meeting was the first industrial exhibit by twenty-five supply houses.
Among the things accomplished were:

The recommendation that members co-operate in determining the invisible
supply of coffee in the United States at stated periods; increasing
annual dues from $50 to $60 for members having $50,000 or less
capitalization, and from $100 to $120 for firms having more than $50,000
capital; restricting membership to purely wholesale coffee roasters and
distributers; and offering co-operation to hotel-men and
restaurant-keepers in standardizing and improving their coffee
beverages.

The St. Louis meeting was notable in violating association precedent by
unanimously electing Carl W. Brand president for the third consecutive
term. Other officers were: J.A. Folger, San Francisco, first
vice-president, R.O. Miller, Chicago, second vice-president; Charles A.
Clark, Milwaukee, treasurer.

The eleventh annual meeting, held in New York, November 1-3, 1921, set
the high-water mark of the organization’s record of achievement. This
convention took the first definite steps toward the amalgamation of the
green and roasted coffee interests in one association. Brazil sent a
delegation of coffee men to invite a similar delegation to pay a return
visit to Brazil. It was announced also that São Paulo was about to
double its tax contribution to the national advertising campaign. Among
other things done, were: the appropriation of $1500 to work out a
uniform cost-accounting system for roasters; the recommendation that
coffee importers insist upon the use of American ships by Brazilian
exporters; the formulation of a cost-and-freight arbitration contract
for use with São Paulo exporters; the formation of a new membership
class roasting up to 6000 bags a year; and the decision to make a
national campaign to put the selling of coffee on a uniform thirty-days
credit, two percent cash in ten days basis. Professor S.C. Prescott,
reporting on the research work being done at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, said a better brew of coffee could be obtained at a
temperature of 185 degrees than at the boiling point; that glass, china,
or enameled-ware pots were to be preferred, and that the filtration
method is superior to that employed in the pumping percolator.

[Illustration: JOEL O. CHEEK, NASHVILLE

President of the National Coffee Roasters Association, 1922]

The Industrial Exposition included displays by twenty-eight
manufacturers of machinery and supplies, and was voted a success. Many
of the exhibits were of a distinctly educational character.

The following officers were elected for 1921-22: President, Joel O.
Cheek, Nashville, Tenn.; first vice-president, Webster Jones, San
Francisco; second vice-president, Joseph E. Maury, Memphis, Tenn.;
treasurer, Frank Ennis, Kansas City.

_Coffee Roaster Statistics_

As might be expected, considering the leading place that New York holds
as a port of entry for coffee, the roasting and grinding of coffee is
more important in the eastern section of the country than in any other.
But there are many establishments for preparing coffee scattered
throughout the south and the middle west, and the business has grown to
considerable proportions on the Pacific coast. New York state leads in
number of establishments and is followed by Pennsylvania, California,
Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois. The chief southern state is Texas,
followed by Louisiana and Kentucky, although Maryland and Louisiana lead
in value of product. Missouri has more plants than any other state in
the middle west, and is followed by Illinois, though the capital
invested and the value of the output are much greater in the latter than
in the former.

COFFEE AND SPICE ROASTING AND GRINDING
ESTABLISHMENTS–CENSUS OF 1914

_Value of_
_States_ _Number_ _Capital_ _product_

Alabama 8 $155,000 $331,000
California 43 3,619,000 9,584,000
Colorado 9 445,000 1,168,000
Connecticut 7 136,000 435,000
Dist. of Col. 5 294,000 428,000
Florida 19 219,000 697,000
Georgia 6 80,000 169,000
Illinois 34 8,159,000 22,045,000
Indiana 12 941,000 1,790,000
Iowa 14 1,752,000 3,804,000
Kansas 6 144,000 396,000
Kentucky 17 541,000 1,561,000
Louisiana 17 1,657,000 4,241,000
Maryland 14 1,643,000 4,393,000
Massachusetts 21 3,678,000 8,675,000
Michigan 16 502,000 1,618,000
Minnesota 11 1,531,000 4,729,000
Mississippi 5 27,000 94,000
Missouri 37 6,152,000 14,299,000
Nebraska 6 405,000 1,262,000
New Jersey 17 828,000 3,451,000
New York 136 9,910,000 31,675,000
Ohio 35 6,578,000 13,312,000
Oklahoma 6 191,000 757,000
Oregon 9 757,000 2,050,000
Pennsylvania 77 2,454,000 6,967,000
Tennessee 7 465,000 1,648,000
Texas 36 970,000 3,326,000
Virginia 9 413,000 1,137,000
Washington 25 1,023,000 2,237,000
West Virginia 3 73,000 71,000
Wisconsin 8 362,000 809,000
Other states 21 492,000 1,590,000
____ ___________ ____________
Total 696 $56,596,000 $150,749,000

The distribution of the business of preparing coffee is shown by the
figures of the Census Bureau, which reports for 1914 a total of 696
establishments under the designation “Coffee and spice, roasting and
grinding.” It was found to be necessary to adopt this classification
inasmuch as most establishments handle both coffee and spices. Of the
696, however, 658 had coffee as their principal product, and the figures
may thus be taken as indicating fairly well the general distribution of
the coffee-manufacturing industry. These figures, for the various
states, are shown on page 515.

Preliminary figures for the 1919 census show that the value of the
product almost doubled in the five years 1914-19, amounting to
$304,740,000 in 1919, while the number of establishments increased from
696 to 794, of which 769 specialize in coffee.

[Illustration]