history

Two Things Changed This Year

May 19, 2026 5 minute read

Remington’s Broncho Buster and the H&H brand spelling

May 19, 2026 1 minute read

From a 25-pound lard-can roaster to the finest plant in the South — H and H coffee equipment, 1904–1960s

May 19, 2026 5 minute read

The story of Hoffmann-Hayman’s production equipment is a straight line from a single cast-iron drum small enough to carry by hand to a multi-roaster operatio...

When “N.R.A.” Meant Recovery, Not Rifles — The National Recovery Administration (1933–1935)

May 1, 2026 4 minute read

Ghost sign — hand-painted H and H on exposed brick solved

April 29, 2026 3 minute read

Artifact Snapshot Era: Type: Brands: H and H Blend Coffee Confidence: medium Evidence and Sources On-site ghost...

Bolner’s Fiesta Brand — a grinder from closing Hoffmann-Hayman (reported 1971)

April 26, 2026 4 minute read

A Second, Clean Example of the Founding H and H Coffee Keywind Tin

November 17, 2025 2 minute read

Old Roaster Switch at the H and H Coffee Factory

January 5, 2025 less than 1 minute read

A ‘G — M — A’ Surveyor’s Marker in Delaware Street, in Front of the Factory’s Entry Gate

December 23, 2024 5 minute read

Wilhelmina “Minnie” Menger Hoffmann — International Women’s Day

March 8, 2023 less than 1 minute read

Large-Format Reprint of the 24 July 1932 San Antonio Sunday Light — “Hoffmann-Hayman Plant Modern Throughout”

February 19, 2023 6 minute read

Upgrading Artifact Storage

February 15, 2023 1 minute read

“Marzo 5 – 1952 / Marzo 25 – 1953 / Marzo 18 – 1954” — Three Pencil Dates on the Upstairs East Wall

February 1, 2023 3 minute read

“Agosto 8 – 56” — A Fourth Pencil Date, on a Pan-Formed Concrete Ceiling Joist

February 1, 2023 3 minute read

“Febrero 11 – 53” — A Pencil Date on the Seam Between the Expansion and the Original Plant

February 1, 2023 4 minute read

Hand-Painted H and H Lettering — Ghost Sign on Exposed Brick

January 1, 2023 less than 1 minute read

H and H Coffee Factory South Face at Sunset, 14 March 2021

March 14, 2021 1 minute read

Thunderbirds “America Strong” Flyover from the H and H Factory Roof, 13 May 2020

May 13, 2020 1 minute read

Gus P. Menger Cupping Portrait — Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., Photo by Studer, 1938

December 4, 2019 1 minute read

H and H Blend Three-Pound Crystalvac Jar

October 4, 2019 less than 1 minute read

Man Sampling Coffee at a Drum Roaster — Photographic Print from an H and H–Adjacent Stack

August 19, 2019 2 minute read

Hopper Car at the H and H Coffee Factory Siding

April 16, 2019 less than 1 minute read

H and H Coffee Factory — South End and West Flank from the Rail Siding at Dusk, February 2019

February 7, 2019 1 minute read

Union Foundry Co. — Embossed Cast-Iron Pipe

October 6, 2017 less than 1 minute read

H and H Master Chef — Manufacturers Association Booth

July 7, 2017 less than 1 minute read

Alamo National Bank Statement Fragments — Found in the Wall

June 20, 2017 less than 1 minute read

Keeping Inventory in the 1940s — Wall Notes

June 17, 2017 less than 1 minute read

Three Rivers Glass Show, April 28-29 2017

April 29, 2017 4 minute read

GW Mitchell — Hoffmann-Hayman Delaware factory flashback (blog PDF, 2017)

January 30, 2017 4 minute read

Simpson & Doeller Co. — H and H Blend Tin Marking

December 5, 2016 less than 1 minute read

Oriental Cafe and Bar — “Serving H&H Coffee” Storefront Sign, San Antonio

May 11, 2016 1 minute read

Regional soda bottles (Three Rivers era) — archive photos (Mac Johanson transfers)

February 20, 2016 2 minute read

Harnit & Hewitt Co. Mocha Blend Coffee (Toledo, Ohio)

February 25, 2015 less than 1 minute read

Large H and H Crystalvac jar, Georgetown, Texas

February 1, 2015 less than 1 minute read

All About Learning Coffee

January 10, 2015 1 minute read

Two-pound H and H shop bags (picker find)

December 20, 2014 less than 1 minute read

A very special factory tour — Menger family

December 18, 2014 less than 1 minute read

St. Mary’s Bulletin, February 1936 — H and H Crystalvac ad

December 15, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Hoffmann’s Old Time Blended Coffee (Milwaukee)

December 14, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Sales report books from the office ceiling

December 9, 2014 1 minute read

Site-recovered factory sales books whose preprinted line items confirm the H&H product roster the office tracked in the interwar period—Tea, H and H Coff...

Texas Girl and H and H one-pound shop bags

November 28, 2014 less than 1 minute read

H and H Brand Spices ginger, 1½ oz

November 16, 2014 less than 1 minute read

H and H Coffee Paper Shipping Bags

October 28, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Small H and H Crystalvac with wire-and-wood holder

August 13, 2014 1 minute read

Master Chef Regular Grind one-pound tin

August 11, 2014 less than 1 minute read

All About Coffee (1935 Second Edition) by William H. Ukers

August 6, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Coffee Merchandising (First Edition) by William H. Ukers

August 6, 2014 less than 1 minute read

H and H High Grade one-pound vacuum tin

August 2, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Alamo Cook Book (Hoffmann-Hayman)

July 24, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Master Chef “We Serve” hand-painted sign

July 19, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Household Institute three-piece percolator

July 6, 2014 less than 1 minute read

Wait! Spices?

July 1, 2014 1 minute read

Broncho Coffee & American Pickers

June 28, 2014 2 minute read

Purchased Mike Wolfe’s Art of the Pick photo book and the signed 12×18 Broncho Coffee print from Antique Archaeology / Art of the Pick—the American Pickers r...

Coffee factory interior — Maxwell House cases and jar line

June 27, 2014 1 minute read

A Coffee Whistle?

June 26, 2014 1 minute read

A Visit to Three Rivers

June 14, 2014 1 minute read

Glass Bottles from Three Rivers

June 11, 2014 2 minute read

East-wing shed — Master Chef plywood and shipping-crate boards in the walls

May 28, 2014 1 minute read

Exploring the metal-roofed shed attached to the east wing of the plant in May 2014, we found interior partition walls built from salvaged sheet goods and cra...