San Francisco County
J. A. FOLGER & CO.
J. A. FOLGER & CO. – The wholesale coffee, tea and spice business of the above firm at Nos. 104, 106, 108, 110 California street was established by William H. Bovee in May, 1850, under the name of the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, with very limited facilities, using hand-power machinery for roasting, grinding, etc. It was located in what was then considered a desirable business locality, on Powell street, between Broadway and Pacific streets. With great foresight he placed his coffee on the market, ground, packed in tins and paper packages, under the Bovee and Pioneer Java brands, which became popular; and his trade increased so rapidly that it soon outgrew the capacity of his hand-power mill, orders and contracts being offered which could not be executed unless some other power could be obtained. In this strait an endeavor was made to utilize a windmill which was located on Telegraph Hill. This, however, did not prove a success, and the plant was removed to Broadway, between Dupont and Stockton streets, where steam power, and the then improved machinery, was put in, to enable him to meet the increased demands of the trade. Outside of the local trade, sales were made through the medium of the auction houses, and the Bovee and Pioneer Java brands of ground coffee became very popular, on account of their superior quality. Large quantities of coffee were kept constantly in the auction houses, and in the destructive fires late in 1850 and again in June, 1851, Mr. Bovee lost heavily, although his factory was not destroyed.
He remained in the Broadway store until 1855, when, having taken in Ira Marden as partner, and J. A. Folger as confidential clerk and bookkeeper, they erected a brick building on the corner of Front and Oregon streets, which was carefully fitted up, and afforded them greater facilities for business and a more central location. They then began soliciting the trade in the interior, which so alarmed the jobbers that they combined to prevent this, attempted a boycott, and withdrew their patronage. The demand, however, for the Bovee and Pioneer Java coffees was so great that the jobbers were compelled to surrender, and Mr. Bovee controlled the market of the coast.
In 1859 Mr. Bovee sold his interest and retired from the business, and the firm of Marden & Folger was organized, continuing in the same location until 1865, when they moved to No. 220 Front street. Marden withdrew in 1866, and Mr. O. Schoemann purchased an interest, and the now well-known firm of J. A. Folger & Co. was organized. Under this partnership the business steadily increased, and in January, 1874, the location was again changed, the firm moving to their present location, occupying Nos. 104 and 106 California street. In 1877 Mr. Schoemann retired, and his interest was purchased by W. H. Lamb and A. Schilling, both of whom had been in the employ of the firm for some years. The firm name then adopted was Folger, Schilling & Co. and so continued until September, 1881, when A. Schilling withdrew, and the firm name of J. A. Folger & Co. was again used. In 1885 J. A. Folger purchased the interest of W. H. Lamb, thus becoming the sole proprietor of the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. In 1886 the volume of business had increased to such an extent that more room was required, and the second and third floors of Nos. 108 and 110 California street were added to the former premises for manufacturing purposes, and the ground floor of this building was handsomely fitted up as a business office.
Mr. Folger had now, by untiring efforts and the exercise of a business judgment seldom equaled, built up an importing and manufacturing business which was unsurpassed by anything on the Pacific coast, in the management of which he was ably assisted by an efficient staff of capable employes whom he had selected to conduct the details of his large business.
On June 26, 1889, Mr. Folger died very suddenly from heart failure, brought on, doubtless, by years of assiduous attention to business. He left a reputation for upright and honest dealing which was never questioned and which was one of the principal elements of his successful business career. In February, 1890, the business was incorporated under the same name, with Mr. Folger’s son, Mr. J. A. Folger, as President, C. J. Paddock Vice-President, and Mrs. J. H. Titcomb Secretary and Treasurer, under whose able management it still continues. This corporation is today one of the largest importers of teas, coffees and spices, and is undoubtedly the largest manufacturer and dealer in these articles west of Chicago.
The foregoing is a brief sketch of a business the growth of which is contemporaneous with that of San Francisco, and which is an enduring monument to the integrity and ability of the man whose name it bears.
Transcribed
by David and Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: “The Bay of
San Francisco,” Vol. 2, Pages 342-343, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
©
2006 David Rugeroni.