H and H Coffee

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

Three Rivers Glass Company

South Texas glasshouse that supplied Hoffmann-Hayman with the square one-pound and three-pound Crystalvac jars from 1932 onward. The supplier relationship is the project’s primary reason for tracking Three Rivers Glass; the company itself ran roughly 1922–1937, was acquired by Ball Brothers in 1936, and closed shortly after.

Company timeline

  • 1922 — incorporated at Three Rivers, Texas. James Kapp named first president; Charles Tips, secretary–treasurer; H. L. Warrick, general manager. (See 1922 incorporation event.)
  • c. 1932–1936 — production peak years for H&H. Square clear and amber Crystalvac jars in one-pound and three-pound sizes carry the Three Rivers “star” or 3R* mark on the base or heel.
  • 1936 — Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company (Muncie, Indiana) acquires the Three Rivers plant. (1936 Ball acquisition event.)
  • 1937 — plant closes. The 2017 collectors’ show marks the 80th anniversary of the closure. (2017 show event.)
  • 1973 — Texas Historical Commission dedicates a marker at the works site. (1973 marker event.)
  • 1996 — Ball Corporation (successor to Ball Brothers) sells remaining glass interests to Saint-Gobain and pivots to metal packaging and aerospace. (1996 Ball exit event.)

Relationship to Hoffmann-Hayman

Three Rivers Glass supplied the jars for Hoffmann-Hayman’s Crystalvac retail line, launched in June 1932 (Crystalvac brand page). The 1932 launch had an initial order of 250,000 jars — described in period press as “revolutionizing the local coffee industry” and “first in Texas” for the vacuum-pack glass format. H&H’s Crystalvac packaging was the dominant retail format through the 1930s and into the early 1940s alongside metal tins.

Three Rivers Glass also supplied a mold-601-1 square one-pound jar variant that became the recognizable shape for H&H Crystalvac items in the collection (see artifact references throughout knowledge-base/artifacts/).

The field reference photograph of the Texas Historical Commission marker at the Three Rivers works site is catalogued as HH-REF-2017-0001.

Bottle identification mark

The Three Rivers mark commonly appears as:

  • A “star” symbol (3R* or 3 Rivers*) on the base or heel of the bottle
  • Occasionally as a “large outlined star” on the bottom paired with the heel mark
  • Rare overlap: pieces produced after the 1936 Ball acquisition can carry both the “3 Rivers” mark and the Ball logo, indicating short-overlap production (see Ideal Bottling Co. note below)

Bottle inventory (Smith’s Texas Glass)

The following list, items 1–75 plus addendum, is reproduced from the Price List on page 39 of Michael David Smith’s Texas Glass: An Illustrated History of The Three Rivers Glass Company as a working reference for identifying Three Rivers-marked bottles that turn up alongside H&H Crystalvac jars.

This is reference data — the page is the canonical home for the identification list. Items found in the H&H collection are cross-referenced in the “Items in the collection with 3R* marks” section below.

  1. Anderson’s Soda Water — Property of Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
  2. Austin Bottling Works — Austin, Texas
  3. Beer bottle (clear glass — classic “longneck” style)
  4. Beer bottle (amber glass — classic “longneck” style)
  5. Big Chief — Blackburn Bros. — Clarkesville, Texas
  6. Bluebonnet Beverages — Rusk, Texas
  7. Brandimist — Atlanta, Georgia
  8. Burns (no bottling location indicated)
  9. California — Dallas, Texas
  10. Carmine Bottling Works (no bottling location indicated)
  11. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. — Bastrop, Texas
  12. Coca-Cola Gills — Beeville, Texas
  13. Contents 6-1/2 Fl. Oz. — Uvalde, Texas
  14. Crown Bottling Co. — West (Texas?)
  15. Delaware Punch (no bottling location indicated)
  16. Diamond K Beverages — Kingsville, Texas
  17. DP Soda — Dr. Pepper — Uvalde, Texas (bottle has unique “melted” appearance)
  18. Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. — Eagle Lake (smooth bottle, large “#2” embossed on neck)
  19. Dr. Pepper — Good For Life (“10, 2 & 4” design — bottled at various locations)
  20. Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. — Laredo, Texas (bottle has crackled appearance)
  21. Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. — Mt. Pleasant (ribbed bottle w/diamonds circling the neck & base)
  22. Dr. Pepper — Paris, Texas (bottle has raised dots and vertical ribs)
  23. Dr. Pepper — Temple, Texas (cracked appearance and vertical ribs)
  24. Dragon — Dragon Bottling Co., San Antonio, Texas (embossed dragon on bottle neck)
  25. Edward’s (no bottling location indicated)
  26. Evangeline Pepper Sauce — Made in St. Martinville, La., U.S.A. (approximately 4-1/2” tall)
  27. F. J. Piwetz Bottling Wks — Fayetteville, Texas
    • smooth bottle, earlier style
    • diagonal design on neck and base of bottle
  28. F. J. Piwetz Bottling Wks. — Fayetteville, Texas (diagonal design on bottle, later style)
  29. Fizzon — Joy-Synth (no bottling location indicated)
  30. Gebhardt Eagle Chili Powder
    • large size
    • small size
  31. The Famous Milwaukee Drinks (no bottling location indicated)
  32. Giddings Coca Cola Bottling Co. (not classic “Coke” bottle design)
  33. Holt Beverage Co. — Waco, Texas
  34. H and H Coffee, One Pound Crystalvac Jars — San Antonio, Texas
    • clear glass
    • amber glass
    • add if an “H & H” bottle has the original screw-on lid that reads “We Roast It — Others Praise It”
  35. H. Cuellar — Zapata, Texas
  36. Hondo Bottling Works — Hondo, Texas
  37. Ideal Bottling Co. (no bottling location indicated — this particular bottle was apparently produced after the Ball Bros. took over the Three Rivers Glass Co. because both the “3 Rivers” mark and the “Ball” logo appear on the bottle — very unusual)
  38. It — The Whole Tired World Wants It — San Antonio, Texas (a very distinctive bottle, but not uncommon — we have found several over the years)
  39. Julep — Pearsall, Texas
  40. Jumbo (no bottling location indicated — bottom reads “SBC” — possibly Southern Bottling Co. in Corpus Christi)
  41. Kist (no bottling location indicated)
  42. Klasek’s Bottling Works (no bottling location indicated)
  43. Kraus Bottled Purity — Fredericksburg, Texas
  44. Knightcap (embossed knight on bottle)
  45. Mexi-Pep (screw-type top)
  46. Milk bottles
    • Quart (plain)
    • Pint (plain)
    • Half-Pint (plain)
    • Mistletoe Creameries (half-pint)
    • Lone Star Creamery — Houston, Texas (pint)
    • Phoenix Dairy — Milk — The Ideal Food (quart)
    • Roselawn Farms — Three Rivers, Texas
  47. Milwaukee Drinks (no bottling location indicated — this is a short, squat bottle)
  48. Mistletoe (no bottling location indicated)
  49. Nehi Beverages (this is the classic Nehi bottle that was used for over forty years — sometimes bottling location is indicated as Columbus, GA)
  50. Nicholson Brand — El Paso, Texas
  51. No. 1 in Quality and Size — Rodriguez Root Beer Bottling Co. — San Antonio, Texas (16 oz. bottle with large sun embossed on front)
  52. No. 1 in Quality and Size (this bottle is identical to above except in a 15 oz. size with no bottler information indicated — also, we have observed that the “3 Rivers” mark appears twice on this piece — both on the bottom [3R] and the side [3 Rivers])
  53. Orange Crush (some pieces indicate Kenedy, Texas as bottling location, some New Braunfels, Texas, and some have no bottling location indicated)
  54. Pepsi Cola — Austin, Texas
  55. Pickoff — Sign of Purity — Taylor, Texas (noted by a large “HP” enclosed by a circle)
  56. Reed Bros. — Luling, Texas
  57. Real Shine (2-1/2 oz. bottle — apparently a shoe polish container)
  58. Rio Rey (stippled surface with smooth band around center of bottle)
  59. Royal Crown Root Beer — Morgan City, La.
  60. San Benito Bottling Works — San Benito, Texas
  61. Sharry Prod. Co. — Mission, Texas (bottom reads “Rio Rey” — 6 oz. bottle with crackled effect)
  62. Sharry Products Co. — Mission, Texas (bottle has a composition stopper with a wire clamp)
  63. Southern Bottling Co. — Corpus Christi, Texas
  64. Southwest Ice Co. — Georgetown, Texas
  65. Staat’s Beverages — Property of Coca Cola Bottling Co. — New Braunfels, Texas
  66. Standard Bottling Works — “…Never Sold” — San Antonio, Texas
  67. Taylor Bottling Works — (Taylor, Texas?)
  68. Texas — Waco, Texas
  69. Threemor — Temple, Texas (6-1/2 oz. bottle with cracked appearance)
  70. Trappey’s Food Products (no bottling location indicated)
  71. Trappey’s Tabasco Peppers (no bottling location indicated)
  72. Trinity Bottling Works — Trinity, Texas
  73. Union B. Works — Houston, Texas
  74. Victory Bottling Works — El Paso, Texas — Phone M 2590
  75. Yoakum C.V.C. Co. — Yoakum, Texas

Addendum (beyond the 1–75 list)

  • UNEEDA Bottling Works — Beaumont, Texas. Clear bottle, 9” tall; UNEEDA (shoulder), MIN. CONT. 8 FL. OZ. (heel), BOTTLING WORKS (near the shoulder), 3 Rivers “star” (heel), 8 FL. OZS. / W. (base).

Items in the collection with 3R* marks

Specific bottles in the collection, cross-referenced to the numbered inventory above.

  • Beer Bottle, Clear (#3)
    • 27-7
    • 3 Rivers “star”
  • Delaware Punch (#15)
    • Patented March 4 1924 (neck base)
    • Min. Conts. 16 Fld. Ozs. (body)
    • Registered Trademark (heel)
  • Diamond K Beverages (#16)
    • Registered
    • Min. Conts. 6 1/2 Fld. Ozs.
    • Dr Pepper Bottling Co.
    • 3 Rivers “star”
  • Dr. Pepper (#19)
    • Good for Life (body)
    • 10, 2 & 4 Clock Face (body)
    • 6 1/2 oz
  • Dragon Soda (#24)
    • Dragon Bottling Co., San Antonio, TX
    • 3R “star”
    • Capacity 15 FL OZ
  • The Famous Milwaukee Drink (#31)
    • Contents 8 FL OZ
    • 3 Rivers “star”
  • The Famous Milwaukee Drink (#31)
    • Contents 8 FL OZ
    • Reg U.S. Pat Office
  • Nehi (#49)
    • 9 Fluid Oz
    • Columbus, GA
    • Design Pat’d Mar 3, 23
  • Trinity (#72)
    • Bottling Works
    • Trinity, Tex.
    • 7 oz
  • G.V.C. Co (#75)
    • 8 FL OZ
    • Yoakum
    • 3 Rivers “star”

Suggestive but unmatched

Bottles in the collection whose Three Rivers attribution is suggestive but not yet matched to a numbered entry in Smith’s list.

  • City Bottling Works (unknown)
    • Con 6 1/2 FL OZ
  • Coca Cola Bottling Works (unknown)
    • Lockhart, Texas
  • Smile (unknown)
    • Patented July 11, 1922
    • Contents 6 1/2 Fl Oz
    • Glenmora, LA
  • Unlabeled, Clear (unknown)
    • Contents 6 1/2 Fl ozs
    • 3 Rivers “star” (heel)
    • Three “large outlined star” Rivers (bottom)

Open questions

  • Plant address and physical layout at Three Rivers (the works site is marked but the structure is gone).
  • Production totals and customer breakdown (how much went to H&H vs other Texas bottlers).
  • Whether any operational records survive at Ball Corporation archives or the Texas state archives.
  • Fuller documentation of the 1936–1937 Ball-overlap production period (when both Three Rivers and Ball marks appear on the same piece — see Ideal Bottling Co. #37 above).

See also

  • Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company — the Crystalvac customer
  • Crystalvac — the vacuum-pack brand
  • Crystalvac Jars — the jar line and Three Rivers supplier relationship
  • HH-REF-2017-0001 — field photograph of the Texas Historical Commission marker
  • Smith, Michael David. Texas Glass: An Illustrated History of The Three Rivers Glass Company — the canonical reference book for the company and its marked output