H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

An El Paso, Texas coffee company whose legal name until June 1922 was F. E. Warren Coffee Company. It operated in the San Antonio retail market under the trade name “Western Coffee Co.” by at least November 1915, advertising Statesman, President, and Ambassador coffees. In January 1916 it discontinued jobber distribution and routed SA retail orders through The Merchants’ Transfer Company (Crockett 359). In June 1922 the Texas Secretary of State recorded an amendment formally changing the legal name from “F. E. Warren Coffee Company” to “Western Coffee Company.”

This company is entirely distinct from the Western Coffee Company of San Antonio (H. C. Wedemeyer, 1907–c.1914+), though both used “Statesman Coffee” as a brand name.

Corporate identity

Date Legal name Trade name Source
≤Nov 1915 F. E. Warren Coffee Company Western Coffee Co. HH-CLIP-1915-0008 (implied by later charter)
Jan 1916 F. E. Warren Coffee Company Western Coffee Co. HH-CLIP-1916-0014
Jun 1922 → Western Coffee Company (amended) — HH-CLIP-1922-0026

The 1922 Texas Charters entry reads: “F. E. Warren Coffee Company of El Paso, changing name to Western Coffee Company.” This is the sole primary-source document confirming the legal corporate ancestry.

Products / brands

Three brands documented in SA advertising, 1915–1916:

  • Statesman Coffee
  • President Coffee
  • Ambassador Coffee

The “Statesman Coffee” brand overlaps chronologically with the same brand name used by the SA Western Coffee Co. (H. C. Wedemeyer) as late as November 1914 (HH-CLIP-1914-0007). The El Paso company was advertising “Statesman” in SA by November 1915 — one year later. Possible explanations:

  1. The El Paso company acquired the brand name from the financially distressed SA Western Coffee Co. (Wedemeyer had faced foreclosure in 1910 and the company was weakened).
  2. Coincidental reuse of a generic descriptive brand name — “Statesman,” “President,” and “Ambassador” are all dignitary-register names that could be independently chosen.
  3. The SA Western Coffee Co. was absorbed by or sold to the El Paso company, with brand transfer included.

No document directly confirming any of these paths has been found; the overlap is documented but unexplained.

San Antonio distribution (1915–1916)

November 1915 — “Mrs. Spears” telephone solicitation campaign targeting SA retail customers (HH-CLIP-1915-0008). Coffees sold through SA jobbers (wholesale distributors). Ad directed customers to “ask your grocer.”

January 1916 — Distribution change: Western Coffee Co. notified SA retail merchants it was no longer selling through jobbers and redirected all orders to The Merchants’ Transfer Company, Crockett 359 — with free deliveries (HH-CLIP-1916-0014). This gave an El Paso roaster direct-to-retailer access in SA without maintaining its own SA warehouse or delivery fleet.

Open questions

  • Who was F. E. Warren? (Founder or principal of the original El Paso company.)
  • When was the F. E. Warren Coffee Company originally incorporated?
  • Was the El Paso Western Coffee Co. still operating in SA after 1916?
  • Did the 1922 name formalization reflect a genuine business reorganization or was it purely cosmetic?
  • Is there any documented direct relationship between this company and the SA Western Coffee Co. (Wedemeyer) — acquisition, brand purchase, or principals in common?
  • What happened to the company after 1922? (City directory, trade press searches needed.)

See also