The History of Folgers Coffee: From Gold Rush to America's Favorite

Taste is just the beginning when it comes to Folgers' undeniable success. In fact, this coffee brand dates back to 17th century England when a family left to search for gold. Learn more about its history here.

The History of Folgers Coffee: From Gold Rush to America's Favorite

Taste is just the beginning when it comes to Folgers' undeniable success. In fact, the history of this coffee brand dates back to the 17th century, when the Folger family left England in an attempt to search for gold. Who would have thought that almost 400 years later, the surname would be familiar thanks to one of America's favorite coffees? Even so, both Folgers and Maxwell House are recognizable names in the coffee industry, but perhaps the ones reminiscent of an earlier era. The forerunner of Folger Coffee Company was founded in 1850 in San Francisco, California, as Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. But, after the Civil War, the economy collapsed, causing the business to go bankrupt.

He convinced his creditors to pay the company's debts, and then bought all the other partners, changing the company name to J. A. Folgers. This marked the beginning of a new era for Folgers Coffee. In the 1900s, Folgers Coffee built new roasting and packaging plants in Texas and Kansas City, the latter which is still in operation.

A 1985 Folgers TV ad, Peter Comes Home, was particularly associated with the Christmas holidays. With time to create one superior to the rest, the new Instant Folgers were launched in 1958 and were tremendously successful. Under Peter Folger's leadership in the mid-20th century, the brand became one of the leading coffee companies in North America, the largest coffee market in the world. Today, Folgers coffee is a brand of ground, instant, single-use coffee capsules produced in the United States, and sold there, as well as in Asia, Canada and Mexico. Part of The J's food and beverage division, M.Employee data is based on information from individuals who have self-reported their past or current jobs at The Folger Coffee Company.

There are a few different versions floating around what happened when the Folger brothers arrived in San Francisco in the spring of 1850 (and even in the next 20 years). Benjamin Franklin's grandmother was Mary Morrel later, by marriage, Mary Folger, one of the ancient settlers of Nantucket, and the ancestor of a long line of Folgers and Harpoons all relatives of the noble Benjamin today throwing the thorny iron from one side of the world to the other. And while many consumers are able to identify names as brands of instant coffee, they may find it more difficult to identify any differences between them. Any coffee roaster, whether in his first year or in his fifth decade, can learn from the history of Folgers coffee and will be well served following in the footsteps of a young James Athearn Folger. After a test season with Joe Ruttman driven, Larry McClure owned Chevrolet in 1985, Folgers expanded his sponsorships. The data presented on this page does not represent the views of The Folger Coffee Company and its employees or that of Zippia.

Glenna Matthys
Glenna Matthys

Hardcore internet practitioner. Wannabe beer advocate. Infuriatingly humble beer expert. Devoted coffee evangelist. Hardcore social media scholar. Friendly beer fanatic.