Folgers

Folgers Coffee is a major brand of coffee in the United States, part of the food and beverage division of The J.M. Smucker Co.

Company history

The Folger Coffee Company was founded by James A. Folger in San Francisco, California, in 1850. James came to San Francisco from Nantucket Island at the age of 15 with his two older brothers during the California Gold Rush. Under the mid-20th century leadership of his great-grandson, Peter Folger (the father of Charles Manson murder victim Abigail Folger), it became one of the largest coffee concerns in North America, which has traditionally been the largest market for coffee in the world. Procter & Gamble acquired the company in 1963. 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. based in Orrville, Ohio, by the end of 2008. The Folgers Coffee Company became a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Co. in November, 2008.

The coffee

1898 Advertisement for J. A. Folgers & Company 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 Costco stores. dave tweten son of gregory and kathrine drinks coffee after getting a blood stache

Advertising the brand

Folgers commercial

"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 Travis, Aretha Franklin and Rockapella.

Folgers was known for many years for television advertising (prior to the "best part of waking up" campaign) involving "Mrs. Olson," a Swedish 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 Christine 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 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 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, has aired on and off since 1986.

In the mid 1980s through the early 1990s, Folgers advertised in the ever expanding NASCAR 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 Ruttman driven, Larry McClure owned Chevrolet in 1985, Folgers expanded sponsorships with high profile race teams and popular drivers such as Tim Richmond, Benny Parsons and Ken Schrader. These cars were owned by country music singer T.G. Sheppard and by Rick Hendrick. In 1990, the Jack Roush-owned, Folgers-sponsored, Mark Martin driven-Ford Thunderbird missed a championship by 26 points.

In 2006, the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi 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 weblogs and video sites such as YouTube.

The Folger Building

The Folgers Coffee Building at 101 Howard Street, San Francisco

The brick, five-story Folger Building at 101 Howard in San Francisco, California was the former headquarters of Folgers. It is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The building still has a sign saying "The Folgers Coffee Company" on one corner. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has its California campus on the top floor, where Wharton's MBA for Executives program is offered.

Further reading

• The Folger Way - Coffee Pioneering since 1850 by Ruth Waldo Newhall (1961) (no ISBN number)

External links

• Selection of 20th Century Folgers commercials
• Folgers home page