H and H Coffee

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

Gustav P. Menger

Long-serving president of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company (1920 through May 1960) and Board Chairman thereafter. Brother of Minnie Menger Schlosser; brother-in-law of William R. Hoffmann (the founder). Father of Albert G. Menger, who succeeded him as president in 1960.

Vitals

  • Birth: 20 September 1889, San Antonio
  • Death: 5 August 1974, San Antonio
  • Burial: Mission Burial Park South, Section 4, Restland
  • Find a Grave: memorial 32326684

The _data/events.yml timeline carries his birth and death years as separate entries. Vital dates currently come from Find a Grave / RootsWeb genealogy; upgrade to Texas vital records or contemporary obituaries when available.

Naming for writers

  • Letterhead and deeds: G. P. Menger, Gustav P. Menger.
  • 1923 San Antonio Light profile headline: “Gus R. Menger” — preserve verbatim when quoting that artifact (the middle initial is a printing error; all other primary sources use “P.”).
  • 1923 Light “Guaran-Tea” Proclamation ad: signed “G. A. Menger, president” — a second 1923 typesetting variant, distinct from the “Gus R.” caption error. Quote verbatim when citing that clip.
  • Informal: Gus P. Menger, Gus Menger.

Role in Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.

1912 — founding officer. One of the three original incorporators of the chartered Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company on 5 February 1912 (alongside W. E. Hayman and his sister Minnie Menger Hoffmann). Held the role of Secretary in the initial officer list. The December 1932 “Tiny Roaster” San Antonio Light article confirms the family connection directly: “Following the death in 1912 of the founder, his brother-in-law, Gus P. Menger became associated with the firm.”

January 1920 — president. When W. E. Hayman sold his interests, G. P. Menger and his brother R. W. Menger purchased the shares. G. P. Menger became president and held that role continuously through at least October 1934. The 1934 anniversary article identifies him as “G. P. Menger, president of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, now celebrating 30 years in business in San Antonio.”

1923 profile. The August 1923 San Antonio Light spread captioned him “A president that sells.” Known for keeping in close personal contact with grocers across the South Texas wholesale territory. Press copy positioned him as both manager and ambassador for the H and H brand.

May 1960 — board chairman. At the 4 May 1960 stockholders/directors meeting, G. P. Menger stepped from the presidency to a newly-created Board Chairman role. His son Albert G. Menger was elected president. The San Antonio Express-News of 5 May 1960 quotes him: “I am indeed proud that our directors have given the responsibility for leadership as president of this long-established San Antonio industry to my son, Albert.”

1972 sale. In August 1972, G. P. Menger sold the Hoffmann-Hayman Warehouse Co. property at 601 Delaware to Kenneth L. Wagner — closing out the Menger family’s seventy-plus-year association with the Delaware Street address. (Continental Coffee had absorbed the brand operations earlier in the late 1960s; this transaction closed the real-estate chapter.)

Family

  • Parents: Dr. Rudolph Menger and Catherine Menger (the East Commerce Street household; Catherine was a granddaughter of William L. Menger, owner of the Menger Hotel)
  • Sister: Minnie Menger Schlosser (née Wilhelmina Menger; first married William R. Hoffmann)
  • Brother-in-law: William R. Hoffmann (founder; died 1912)
  • Brothers: Rudolph W. Menger, T. J. Menger, Louis B. Menger, A. G. Menger — all officers of the firm by the early 1920s (see Menger Family synthesis)
  • First marriage: Rosa Lee Crowther, 1917
  • Second marriage: Catherine Adell Brinkman Paxson, 1956
  • Children: Albert Gus, Barbara Ann, Mary Margaret, Rose Marie (per Find a Grave memorial 32326684; cross-check vital records when tightening genealogy)
  • Son: Albert G. Menger, b. c.1917–1918, president of Hoffmann-Hayman from May 1960; appears with his father in a c.1948 plant cupping photograph (UTSA / Light collection)

Posts and visual record

Open questions

  • Precise sibling order among G. P., R. W., T. J., and L. B. Menger
  • Earliest documented role at Hoffmann-Hayman before the 1912 charter — did he assist the firm during William Hoffmann’s lifetime?
  • Continental Coffee transition dates (1964 / 1968 / 1972) — what was G. P. Menger’s involvement after the brand operations were sold?
  • Marriage records and Mrs. G. P. Menger’s biography

See also