Western Coffee Company of San Antonio

Disambiguation: A second, unrelated company also used the “Western Coffee Company” name — see Western Coffee Company of El Paso (legal name: F. E. Warren Coffee Company until June 1922). Both companies used “Statesman Coffee” as a brand; see §1914–1915: Statesman Coffee brand overlap below.

A coffee roasting company incorporated in San Antonio, Texas in 1907, operating at Buena Vista and Comal streets. Run by H. C. Wedemeyer; encountered financial difficulty by 1909–1910. W. E. Hayman — later co-founder of Hoffmann-Hayman — held a mortgage on the company and filed to foreclose in February 1910. Western Coffee was still advertising under its own name as late as November 1914.

Founding

Charter filed with the Texas State Department on approximately May 30, 1907 (reported in San Antonio Express-News, May 31, 1907).

• Capital stock: $10,000
• Incorporators: H. C. Wedemeyer, Carson Wedemeyer Jr., J. L. Mayfield, John S. Bridge
• President: H. C. Wedemeyer

Location

Corner of Buena Vista and Comal streets, San Antonio, Texas.

Operations

As of August 1907, two newspapers covered the company’s opening. The SA Express-News (Aug 25) called it “the largest of its kind in the State” and noted:

• All coffees thoroughly cleaned before roasting
• All objectionable chaff eliminated after roasting — “insures the best results and a wholesome product”
• Machinery “most modern in every particular”
• Aimed “to take care of the coffee trade of Southwest Texas”

The SA Light (Aug 25) published a profile quoting president Wedemeyer (see New Enterprise Deserves Success):

• “One of the most complete and up-to-date coffee-roasting plants in the entire south”
• Purchased in car-load lots
• Emphasized expertise in buying, blending, and roasting

President Wedemeyer on the company’s philosophy (San Antonio Light, Aug 25, 1907):

“We believe there is as much art in blending coffee as there is in painting a picture, and our long experience in buying, blending and roasting, insure to our customers the most satisfactory results.”

1907 — Competition and cooperation

November 1907 (three months after opening): Western Coffee placed a display ad in SAEN on the same page (p. 29, Nov 30, 1907) as Wm. R. Hoffmann’s own display ad — two chief SA coffee operators advertising side by side. Western Coffee emphasized Mocha and Java imports; Hoffmann emphasized daily fresh roasting. See HH-CLIP-1907-0004 and HH-CLIP-1907-0005.

Late 1907 — Aid to Dechman Coffee Co. When the Dechman Coffee Co. factory on Nacional Street was partially destroyed by fire on July 30, 1907, Western Coffee generously shared its plant with Dechman during rebuilding (as did the otherwise-unrecorded Holland Tea Co.). This is documented in Dechman’s January 1908 public notice (HH-CLIP-1908-0003) — notable since Western Coffee had only been open a few months at the time of Dechman’s fire.

1909–1910 — Financial trouble

April 1909: Wedemeyer placed a “Wanted” notice in SAEN seeking investors to put $25,000–$50,000 into the company. He claimed 100 bags/day capacity and called San Antonio “without a concern of this class” — despite multiple SA coffee companies operating. The investment search apparently failed (HH-CLIP-1909-0003).

February 1910: W. E. Hayman — future co-founder of Hoffmann-Hayman — filed suit against Western Coffee Company “et al” in Bexar County on a promissory note and to foreclose a mortgage. This establishes that Hayman held a note and mortgage on Western Coffee before he was ever associated with Hoffmann or H&H. The company apparently survived or was reconstituted after the suit (HH-CLIP-1910-0001).

1914 — Statesman Coffee

November 1914: Western Coffee was still advertising under its own name, promoting “Statesman Coffee” with a female demonstrator (Miss J. E. Rogers) at Oberstone Bros.’ Grocery and Market, 516 Ave. C (HH-CLIP-1914-0007). By this point Hoffmann-Hayman (est. 1912) was a direct competitor.

1914–1915: Statesman Coffee brand overlap

One year after the SA Western Coffee Co.’s November 1914 Statesman Coffee demonstration, a different company — Western Coffee Co. of El Paso (legal name: F. E. Warren Coffee Company) — was advertising “Statesman Coffee” (alongside “President” and “Ambassador” coffees) in the San Antonio market via a phone solicitation campaign by “Mrs. Spears” (HH-CLIP-1915-0008).

The gap between the last SA Western Coffee Co. documentation (Nov 1914) and the El Paso company’s first SA appearance (Nov 1915) is exactly one year. Three possible explanations:

1. Brand acquisition. The El Paso company bought the “Statesman Coffee” brand (or the SA company’s assets) from the weakened Wedemeyer operation.
2. Brand continuation. The SA Western Coffee Co. was folded into or acquired by the El Paso company, with the Statesman brand carried forward.
3. Coincidence. “Statesman” is a generic dignitary-register name; both companies independently chose it.

No document confirming any of these paths has been found. This remains the key open question connecting the two “Western Coffee” companies. See Western Coffee Company of El Paso.

Open questions

• Was SA Western Coffee absorbed by the El Paso Western Coffee Co. (F. E. Warren Coffee Co.)? The “Statesman Coffee” brand overlap (1914 → 1915) is the strongest evidence of a connection.
• Was SA Western Coffee absorbed by Hoffmann-Hayman or Morrison Coffee Co. instead, or did it simply cease operations independently?
• What happened to H. C. Wedemeyer after the 1910 foreclosure?
• Who were the “et al” defendants in the 1910 Hayman suit?

See also

People

• W. E. Hayman — held mortgage; filed foreclosure Feb 1910

Companies

• Hoffmann-Hayman Company
• Merchants’ Transfer Company — SA delivery agent for the El Paso Western Coffee Co., 1916
• Morrison Coffee Company — acquired by H&H 1917; possible successor relationship to Western Coffee
• Western Coffee Company of El Paso — distinct El Paso entity; shares “Statesman Coffee” brand name

Artifacts

• Express-News, 19 Feb 1910 — Suits Filed: W.E. Hayman vs. Western Coffee Co., foreclosure (Newspapers.com)
• Express-News, 30 Nov 1907 — Western Coffee Company display ad: Importers & Roasters (Newspapers.com)
• Express-News, 31 Jan 1908 — Dechman Coffee Co. fire on Nacional Street; Western Coffee Co. aided recovery (Newspapers.com)
• Express-News, 4 Apr 1909 — H.C. Wedemeyer (Western Coffee Co.) solicits $25K–$50K investor (Newspapers.com)
• San Antonio Light, 3 Nov 1915 — Western Coffee Co. (El Paso) ‘Mrs. Spears’ phone campaign ad (Newspapers.com)
• San Antonio Light, 9 Nov 1914 — Western Coffee Co. Statesman Coffee demo, Oberstone Bros. Grocery (Newspapers.com)