Folgers was founded as The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills back in 1850 by 27-year-old William H. Bovee.
In 1850, James Folger was only 14 years old when he and his two brothers left home after a major fire to find their fortunes elsewhere.
Folger met 27-year-old entrepreneur William H. Bovee, who planned to build a mill in San Francisco and hired Folger. Bovee named his business The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills.
Through hard work and diligence, J.A became a partner The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills and left dreams of gold behind for a future in coffee.
In 1870 the company had 7 employees and 120,000 pounds of ground coffee in its inventory. Following the Civil War, the economy collapsed - resulting in the business going bankrupt.
James A. Folger, in 1872, convinced creditors to help him by paying off the company’s lingering debts. Once this was done, he took the initiative and bought his partners. He renaming the company J.A. Folger & Co.
James A. Folger passed away at the age of 54, and his son, James A. Folger II, took over the growing coffee business. James II expanded the company, which sold coffee on both a wholesale and retail basis.
Procter & Gamble acquired Folger's in 1963 and dropped the apostrophe from the name. During P&G's ownership, Folgers became the No. 1 coffee brand in the United States.
Today, the company is better known by its household brand name: Folgers Coffee.
First American coffee company - The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills
