H and H Coffee

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

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 project event 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.

1938 — cup-testing documented. The San Antonio Express-News of 10 October 1938 (“Knows His Java and His Mocha Too”) shows G. P. Menger at the cup-testing bench alongside Dave Crowe, supervisor of the cafe department. The caption notes Menger has been “cup testing coffees for 26 years” — placing the start of his cup-testing practice at 1912, the year of H&H’s founding and his first documented association with the firm. The same article pictures samples of H & H, Sam Houston, and Texas Girl blends — the 1938 three-brand retail core.

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 of Chicago had absorbed the brand operations in 1962; this 1972 transaction closed the real-estate chapter ten years later.)

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 — known as “Adele” (per the 30 November 1956 San Antonio Express-News coverage of their Boca Raton National Coffee Convention trip: “Gus Menger, local H.&H. Coffee Company president, and his wife, Adele”)
  • 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. Partially resolved (2026-05-21). The 1971 Louis B. and 1974 Gus P. obituaries (HH-CLIP-1971-0002, HH-CLIP-1974-0002) jointly document seven Menger siblings: Gus P., Rudolph W., Theodore J., Louis B., August, Edward W., and Margaret. Louis B. was 85 at death (Oct 1971 → b. ~1886); Gus P. was 84 at death (Aug 1974 → b. ~1889–1890); Edward W. died Nov 1960 (per HH-CLIP-1960-0004). Birth order is consistent with Louis B. being the eldest among the brothers in this set, but the precise full ordering — including August, Rudolph, Theodore, Edward, and Margaret — is not directly stated in either obituary. Research angles: Texas birth/baptism records 1880–1900; the family plot at Mission Burial Park (interment site for both Louis B. and Gus P.); census records 1900, 1910, 1920.
  • Earliest documented role at Hoffmann-Hayman before the 1912 charter — did he assist the firm during William Hoffmann’s lifetime?
  • Continental Coffee transition: brand operations sold in 1962 (confirmed); real estate sold by G. P. Menger personally in 1972. What was G. P. Menger’s involvement (consulting? board seat?) during the 1962–1972 decade between the two transactions? Partially documented: the 1974 obituary (HH-CLIP-1974-0002) styles him “retired Chairman of Board H&H Coffee Company” — implying a board chairmanship that continued after he stepped down from the presidency in May 1960 and that he held the chair role through (at minimum) the 1962 Continental sale.
  • Marriage records and Mrs. G. P. Menger’s biography. Resolved — two marriages (2026-05-21). Gus P. Menger had two wives: (1) Rose Lee Menger, who died 27 October 1955 (per 1955-10-27-san-antonio-light-rose-lee-menger-obituary — see Rose Lee Menger); (2) Mrs. Adele Menger, still surviving at the time of Gus P.’s 7 August 1974 obituary (HH-CLIP-1974-0002) — described as the surviving wife at the 1919 Kenilworth Blvd. address. Adele brought at least one step-son into the family: Carl Paxson of San Antonio, named as a step-son in the 1974 obituary. Research angles: date and place of the Gus P. ↔ Adele second marriage (post-Oct 1955); Adele Menger’s maiden name and prior-Paxson marriage record; Adele’s death record.

See also