H and H Coffee

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

Rudolph W. Menger

Rudolph W. Menger (c. 1892 – August 1985, age 93). Brother of Minnie Menger Schlosser and Gustav P. Menger. Son of Dr. Rudolph Menger (city physician, San Antonio 1890s) and Catherine Barbara Menger (born in the Menger Hotel — granddaughter of William L. Menger, the hotel’s founder). His paternal grandfather was Simon Menger, founder of the Menger Soap Factory. The two Menger forebears were not related.

Role at Hoffmann-Hayman

Secretary and Treasurer as of August 1921 → Secretary-Treasurer (1923) → Secretary (1934) → Executive Vice President (1960 leadership transition). Also held the company’s advertising portfolio for more than 50 years — from roughly 1912 through his retirement in 1962 — a tenure that spanned every major campaign from the H and H Blend era through the Flav-O-Tainer wartime campaign to the Master Chef Instant launch.

The 1923 company profile quotes him: “Our success is due to our ability to properly sell the proper quality products and to back him with effective advertising and sales-helps.” He was described as having “the figures” — the most informed person on company growth and progress.

The 1934 anniversary article credits “the direction of G. P. Menger, R. W. Menger, and T. J. Menger” for the company’s growth over 30 years.

Family

Married Charlotte Malone in 1925; she died 1935. Survivors at his 1985 death: daughter Charlotte Belcher; son Steve G. Menger; brother Theodore J. Menger; four granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.

See also