Folgers Coffee is a major brand of
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, part of the food and beverage division of
The J.M. Smucker Co.The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, beverages, shortening, natural peanut butter and other products in North America. Smucker's headquarters are located in Orrville, Ohio.- History :...
Company history
The Folger Coffee Company was founded in
San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, as the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills in 1850, and acquired and renamed by
James A. FolgerJames Athearn Folger was the founder of the Folgers Coffee Company.-Early years:Folger was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, the son of Samuel Brown Folger and Nancy Hill. His father was a master blacksmith who had invested in a try works and bought two ships. They had nine children of which...
in 1872. James came to San Francisco from
Nantucket IslandNantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
at the age of 15 with his two older brothers during the
California Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. Under the mid-20th century leadership of his great-grandson,
Peter FolgerPeter Folger was an American coffee heir, socialite, and member of the prominent United States Folger family. He was also the long time Chairman of the board and President at the Folgers Coffee Company. He is the grandson of founder J. A...
(the father of Charles Manson murder victim
Abigail FolgerAbigail Anne "Gibbie" Folger was an American coffee heiress, debutante, socialite, volunteer social worker, civil rights devotee and member of the prominent United States Folger family. She was the great-granddaughter of J. A. Folger, the founder of Folgers Coffee...
), it became one of the largest coffee concerns in
North AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, which has traditionally been the largest market for coffee in the world.
Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
(P&G) acquired the company in 1963 and dropped the apostrophe from the product's name. P&G announced in January 2008 that Folgers would be spun off into a separate company, based in Cincinnati. In June 2008, P&G reversed the prior announcement and announced that Folgers would be acquired by
The J.M. Smucker Co.The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, beverages, shortening, natural peanut butter and other products in North America. Smucker's headquarters are located in Orrville, Ohio.- History :...
based in
Orrville, OhioOrrville is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,551 at the 2000 census.The J.M. Smucker Co., owner of the Smucker's brand, is headquartered in Orrville.-Geography:Orrville is located at ....
, by the end of 2008 utilizing a rare financial technique called a
Reverse Morris TrustA Reverse Morris Trust is a transaction that combines a divisive reorganization with an acquisitive reorganization to allow a tax-free transfer of a subsidiary under United States law.- Structure :...
. The Folgers Coffee Company became a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Company in November 2008.
The coffee
In the United States, there are 9 'families' of Folgers coffee (many available in decaf versions):
- Classic Roast, including Classic "Red Can" and Half Caff. (All Medium Roasted coffees)
- Classic Complements: including Gourmet Supreme (Dark Roast), 100% Colombian (Med-Dark), French Roast (Med-Dark), Black Silk (Dark Roast) and Breakfast Blend (Light Roast).
- Simply Smooth, a stomach-friendly medium roasted coffee.
- Flavored Coffee: Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Chocolate Silk, Cinnamon.
- Folgers Gourmet Selections: a line of gourmet varietal and flavored coffees.
- Instant Coffee: Folgers Crystals are available in Regular and Decaf.
- Singles: Single serve packets (like tea bags).
- Home Cafe Pods: For use with one cup brewing systems such as HomeCafe.
- Cappuccino: Instant cappuccino powder available in French Vanilla and Mocha Chocolate.
In Canada, Folgers is primarily available as Classic Roast and Mountain Roast.
In the United Kingdom, Folgers Instant Crystals are available (in UK specific packaging) at
CostcoCostco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
stores.
Advertising the brand
"The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!" is Folgers' well-known slogan. The line, usually associated with the well-known Folgers jingle, with lyrics by Susan Spiegel Solovay and Bill Vernick and music composed by Leslie Pearl, is featured in almost every advertisement since 1984. Throughout the years, the jingle has been rearranged and performed by many famous musicians including
Randy TravisRandy Travis is an American country music singer and actor. Since 1985, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 22 of which were number one hits...
,
Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and
RockapellaRockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
.
Folgers was known for many years for
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
(prior to the "best part of waking up" campaign) involving "Mrs. Olson," a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
neighbor/cook to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress
Virginia ChristineVirginia Christine was an American film and television actress and voice artist. Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television. She played "Mrs...
portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from 1965 to 1986.
Another famous advertising campaign from the 1970s and early 1980s took the viewer inside various gourmet restaurants as a voice-over (played by Bryan Clark) whispered, "We are here at (insert name of four-star restaurant), where we've secretly replaced the fine coffee they usually serve with Folgers Crystals. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference!"
One particular Folgers television commercial from 1985 has become ubiquitous during the Christmas holidays. In the commercial, a student named Peter returns home from college, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee awakens his parents and alerts them to their son's return. This commercial, from the agency Cunningham & Walsh, aired each year from then until 1998 and again in 2004 and 2005 albeit heavily edited. In 2009, they produced a commercial of a similar theme which includes a son coming home from West Africa and waking up to the smell of coffee.
In the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, Folgers advertised in the ever expanding
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing series in the United States. This was notable because Folgers was the first NASCAR sponsor to not be affiliated with an automotive, tobacco, or beer company. After a trial season with the
Joe RuttmanJoe Ruttman , is an American former racecar driver. He currently lives in Franklin, Tenn. He actively competed in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series and is a 13 time winner in the Truck Series, the seventh most wins by any driver in the Truck...
driven, Larry McClure owned
ChevroletChevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
in 1985, Folgers expanded sponsorships with high profile race teams and popular drivers such as
Tim RichmondTim Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend...
,
Benny ParsonsBenjamin Stewart Parsons was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT...
and
Ken SchraderKenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...
. These cars were owned by country music singer T.G. Sheppard and by
Rick HendrickJoseph Riddick Hendrick III , better known as Rick Hendrick, is the current owner of the American NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Marrow Program. He attended Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, and began his career in auto...
. In 1990, the
Jack RoushJack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
-owned, Folgers-sponsored,
Mark MartinMark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
driven-Ford
ThunderbirdThe Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
missed a championship by 26 points.
In 2006, the advertising agency
Saatchi & SaatchiSaatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
created a viral advertisement, popularly known as "Happy Mornings," for Folgers. The ad, in which a large group of cheerful singers and dancers appear at sunrise as the sun itself to wake people up, has been widely distributed on
weblogsA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and video sites such as
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The Folger Building
The brick, five-story
Folger Coffee Company BuildingThe Folgers Coffee Company Building is a mid-rise office building on the National Register of Historic Places located in downtown San Francisco....
at 101 Howard in
San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
was the former headquarters of Folgers. It is listed on the United States
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The building still has a sign saying "The Folgers Coffee Company" on one corner. The
Wharton School of the University of PennsylvaniaThe Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
has its
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
campus on the top floor, where Wharton's MBA for Executives program is offered.
On August 2, 2011, the Folger Building was purchased by the
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, marking a return to the university's roots in downtown San Francisco.
Further reading
- The Folger Way - Coffee Pioneering since 1850 by Ruth Waldo Newhall (1961) (no ISBN number)
External links