H and H Coffee

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

By November 1939, Hoffmann-Hayman established a Houston distributing plant to meet increasing demand for Sam Houston, Texas Girl, and H. & H. brand coffees, per a Houston Port Book trade notice (Vol. 18 No. 2, p. 28).

The Hoffman-Hayman Coffee Company, importers and roasters of Sam Houston, Texas Girl and H. & H. brands of coffee have established a distributing plant in Houston to meet their increasing demands for this product. This distributing center is operated from the Patrick Shipside Warehouse and Mr. F. H. Kelley is local manager.

Cans and packages used in packing this product are purchased from Houston manufacturers and employees of this Houston branch are Houston residents. It is also interesting to note that all green coffee used by this firm for roasting and distributing here is imported through the Port of Houston.

San Antonio remained the corporate headquarters and primary plant (601 Delaware Street from 1932). Houston was a Gulf Coast satellite with its own roasting and packing — green coffee imported through the Port of Houston, packaging sourced from Houston manufacturers, and a Houston-resident workforce under manager F. H. Kelley.

Open questions

  • Exact Patrick Shipside Warehouse street address and whether the building survives
  • When the Houston branch opened (article says “established” by Nov 1939; opening date unknown)
  • Tenure — when closed or consolidated back to San Antonio
  • F. H. Kelley — full name, vitals, Houston directory citations
  • Whether Houston-made cans differ from San Antonio-packed stock

See also