Maxwell House Coffee is an American brand of coffee that is owned by Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world.
The company was first introduced in 1892 by Joel Owsley Cheek, a wholesale grocer. The name of the company was given in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel from Nashville, which was the first major customer. The story is that Joel approached the food buyer of Maxwell House and gave him 20 pounds of the blend for free. After the supply was over the hotel began to sell its usual brand again. The customers then complained about the quality of the coffee, and thus the hotel bought only Cheeks blend from then on.
By 1920 Maxell House Coffee was already a household name which led to the buying of the company by General Foods in 1928. Maxwell House was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S until the 1980s and nowadays it is second behind Folger's.
The company is known for its longtime slogan, "Good to the last drop."
Maxwell House Coffee History
Early origins
In 1884, Joel Cheek moved to Nashville and met British coffee broker Roger Nolly Smith. He should be able to identify the origin of the coffee just by the smell of green beans. Over the next few years, the two struggled to find the perfect combination. In 1892, Chick found the grocery store at the Maxwell Hotel and gave him a special set of £20 for free. A few days later, the coffee was gone and the hotel went back to their usual brand. But after hearing complaints from guests and others who prefer Chike coffee, the hotel only purchased Chike's blend. Six months later, the hotel agreed to let Cheek name its coffee after the first big sale.
Inspired by his success, Chick quit his job as a coffee broker and started a wholesale grocery business called "Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company" with partner Maxwell Colbourne. They specialize in coffee, later known as Maxwell House Coffee as their core brand. The Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company later changed its name to the Chichenille Coffee Company. Over the next few years, the Maxwell House Coffee brand became a respected brand that set it apart from the competition.
"Good to the last drop"
In 1915, Cheek-Neal started using the slogan "Good to the Last Drop" to promote his Maxwell House Coffee. For several years, no ads have claimed Theodore Roosevelt as the originator of the phrase. The company was then sold to General Foods, which took over the Maxwell House brand. In the 1930s, the company ran ads claiming that the former president sipped Maxwell House coffee while visiting Andrew Jackson's Hermitage estate near Nashville on October 21, 1907, when he served it When it comes to coffee, he declares it should be "to the last drop". During this time, Coca-Cola also launched the slogan "Good to the last drop". Maxwell House later distanced itself from its original claim, acknowledging that the slogan was written by former General Foods president Clifford Spiller and not from Roosevelt overheard by Cheek-Neal. The phrase remains a registered trademark of this product and appears on its logo.
The correctness of Roosevelt's connection to this phrase has never been proven historically. In a local news report on Roosevelt's Oct. 21 visit, the story about Roosevelt and the cup of coffee he drank included a different quote from the slogan. He was quoted as saying, "It's the kind of stuff I like to drink from George when I'm hunting bears." The Maxwell House Company declared that Roosevelt's story was true. In 2009, Maxwell House aired a commercial starring Roosevelt, retelling Joe Wiegand's "The Last Drop" story.
Expansion of the product line
In 1942, during World War II, General Foods Corporation, the successor to the Postum company founded by Charles William Post, contracted with the U.S. Armed Forces to supply instant coffee. Beginning in the fall of 1945, the product then branded Maxwell House Instant Coffee, entered the test market in the eastern United States. The national release began the following year.
In 1966, the company launched the "Maxwell House ElectraPerk" designed for electric coffee machines.
In 1969, General Foods in the United Kingdom introduced granulated coffee in a presentation at the Hilton Hotel in London, using the pantomime stage format in a show called "Once Upon a Coffee Time". In this story, the weak "Prince Powdah" and his mentor "Reschem" travel the world in search of mixtures. The young man meets and falls in love with "Princess Purity" and fights the dragon "Old Hat" who becomes "Prince Granulo", the heir to Maxwell's kingdom. The show is written by Michael Ingrams, produced by Mitchell Monkhouse Agency, and designed by Malcolm Lewis and Chris Miles of Media.
In 1976, General Foods added "Maxwell House A.D.C." coffee, a name reflecting its intended use in automatic filter coffee makers such as Mr. Coffee, which replaced traditional coffee-making methods. In 1972, the company launched the "Max-Pax" ground coffee filter ring, targeting the still-strong osmotic coffee brewing market. Although this approach was also overshadowed, the Max Pax concept was later adapted as Maxwell House Filter Packs for automatic coffee machines, first marketed under that name in 1989. In the 1990s, the company has quietly discontinued the formulation of certain preparation methods.
The brand is now sold in-ground and measured forms, as well as whole beans, flavored, and various blends. A higher-yield ground coffee, the Maxwell House Master Blend, was introduced in 1981. Colombia Supreme was described as 100% Colombian coffee; and 1892 and 1892, described as a slow roast recipe, were both released in 1989 to compete in an increasingly competitive coffee market. In 1992, the company added cappuccino products to its line, and in 1993, Cappio Ice Cappuccino and Maxwell House Cappuccino. The names of these products have been changed by the company in recent years to present a more consistent brand image of Maxwell House.
After Kraft Foods split into two companies in 2012, the Maxwell House brand was shared and is currently owned by Kraft Heinz and JDE Peet's in North America (from the merger of Douwe Egberts and Mondelez International's coffee and tea divisions) elsewhere in the world.
Decaffeinated coffee
General Foods sells decaffeinated coffee under various brands, such as c.'s Sanka. 1927 and Brim and Maxim, a decaffeinated freeze-dried instant coffee from the 1950s. It didn't introduce Maxwell House ground decaf coffee to the East Coast market until 1983 and did not sell decaf products with the Maxwell House label. At the same time, it launched a decaffeinated version of its time-honored, light-flavored Yuban brand on the West Coast. Maxwell House instant decaffeinated coffee hit shelves in 1985. Another decaffeinated-themed revamp, Maxwell House Lite is a caffeine-reduced blend that was introduced nationwide in 1992 by Kraft General Foods and launched in instant form the following year.
Manufacturing facilities
Its third major manufacturing facility was established at Maxwell House in Jacksonville, Florida. This is his only place of business to date.
The company first produced coffee in Hoboken, New Jersey; the plant closed in the early 1990s. Its massive roof sign, which promotes the brand name and drips coffee mug, is a visible landmark across the Hudson River in New York City. The facility was later sold and demolished, and a condo was subsequently built on the site. According to Ken Burns' Baseball, Hoboken's location was Elysium, believed to be the venue for the first organized baseball game.
The company added plants in New Orleans; Houston, Texas; and San Leandro, California. The New Orleans plant was sold to Folgers, which has continued to operate since June 2017.
Kraft Foods sold the Houston facility to Maximus Coffee Group LP in late 2006. In March 2007, the neon coffee mug sign illuminating the east end of town was removed from the side of the 16-story coffee roaster building, and the factory closed in 2018. The San Leandro plant closed in 2016 and was planned to be a business park on the site.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maxwell House
Who owns Maxwell House Coffee?
Kraft Heinz decided to hold onto the brand. Still, both Folgers and Maxwell House are recognizable names in the coffee industry, yet perhaps ones that hearken back to an earlier time.
Where is Maxwell House Coffee made?
Maxwell House coffee is produced at three U.S. locations: Houston, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, and San Leandro, California.
Where do Maxwell House Coffee beans come from?
The coffee is brought from South and Central Africa, especially Colombia and Vietnam.
Who makes Maxwell House Coffee?
Maxwell House is a coffee brand produced by the namesake division of Kraft Foods, the parent company of General Foods. Introduced in 1892, it was named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Is Maxwell House Coffee gluten free?
If you read every label and look at the ingredients of every coffee, all coffees are absolutely gluten-free and additive-free. There is no statement on the website that they are made or produced in a facility that contains wheat; so Maxwell House is also a very safe bet.
Is Maxwell House Coffee going out of business?
Atlantic Coffee Solutions is closing the former Maxwell House factory, one of the largest coffee factories in the world.
Which Maxwell House Coffee has the most caffeine?
Maxwell House Max Boost Coffee contains 24.50 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce (82.84 mg per 100 ml). An 8-fluid ounce cup contains a total of 196 mg of caffeine.
Is Maxwell House Coffee good?
After a taste test of 13 different types of ground coffee offered by a grocery chain, Maxwell House emerged as the winner of the solid coffee mug. It ranks highest overall for taste and cost, although it loses points for not being very microwaveable.
When was Maxwell House Coffee invented?
1892.
How much Maxwell House Coffee for 12 cups?
To fill a standard 12-cup coffee maker, you'll need 12-24 tablespoons (or 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups) of ground coffee. This makes 12 6-ounce servings or about 6 standard 12-ounce cups of coffee.
How old is Maxwell House Coffee?
Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, his first major client. For nearly 100 years, until the late 1980s, it was the best-selling coffee brand in America.
Does Maxwell House Coffee have caffeine?
Maxwell House Coffee contains 14.00 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce (47.34 mg per 100 ml). An 8mL cup contains a total of 112mg of caffeine.
Are Maxwell House Coffee cans recyclable?
The plastic containers used in Maxwell House Coffee are recyclable because they can be recycled at recycling facilities, but they are also recyclable because they can be made into useful household containers with little or no extra effort.
How much Maxwell House Coffee per cup?
Brewing: 1 serving: 1 tablespoon Maxwell House coffee; 1 6 fl oz cup fresh cold water.
What is Maxwell House Coffee named after?
The hotel bought some coffee to serve in their restaurant. Customers reportedly liked it so much that they asked the hotel to resell it. Joel named his Maxwell House coffee brand after the Nashville hotel where this happened. President Theodore Roosevelt at the Maxwell House in 1907.
Who sells Maxwell House Coffee?
You can buy Maxwell House Coffee on their website, on Amazon, on Cafendo and you can find them in different online stores.
Is Maxwell House Coffee healthy?
This is another of Kraft's iconic American brands. The brand also rejects sustainability certification, fair trade certification, and does not offer any organic products. Therefore, their coffee may contain chemicals and mold. All their coffee is pre-ground and freshness is an issue.
Is Maxwell House Coffee arabica?
Maxwell House serves 100% Arabica coffee. You can also find single-origin coffee. The coffee of these choices will be more delicious than the expensive ones.
Does Maxwell House Coffee expire?
At the bottom of each coffee, the unit is an expiration date, usually nine months to one year from the date of purchase.
How is Maxwell House Coffee decaffeinated?
INGREDIENTS: 100% pure decaffeinated coffee, naturally decaffeinated by carbon dioxide.
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