Folgers

Folgers is an American coffee brand whose roots trace to San Francisco in 1850, when William H. Bovee established the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. The business addressed a practical problem in the nineteenth-century American West: consumers commonly bought green coffee beans and roasted and ground them at home. Bovee’s mill supplied coffee that was already roasted and ground, helping make coffee preparation more convenient and commercially standardized. James A. Folger joined the enterprise as a teenager after arriving in California from Nantucket with his brothers during the Gold Rush era. After working at the mill and later carrying coffee and spice samples to prospective retail customers while traveling through California, Folger became a full partner. In 1872 he acquired the other partners’ interests and renamed the business J.A. Folger & Co. The company remained family associated for several generations, expanding from its San Francisco base into a larger regional and eventually national coffee business. Growth accelerated in the early twentieth century, in part through the work of salesman Frank P. Atha, who proposed establishing a Folgers plant in Texas. The Texas operation helped the company extend its reach beyond California. Under Peter Folger’s mid-century leadership, Folgers became one of North America’s major coffee concerns. The company began construction of a New Orleans plant in 1960, taking advantage of shipping connections serving Central American coffee-producing regions. Folgers coffee continues to be associated with roasting in New Orleans. Procter & Gamble acquired the company in 1963 and standardized the brand name without the apostrophe. During the P&G period, Folgers became particularly prominent through mass-market television advertising, a broad retail distribution system, and a portfolio spanning ground coffee, instant coffee, flavored products, decaffeinated coffee, and later single-serve formats. Its red-and-white visual identity and the slogan “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup” became durable elements of American consumer culture. In 2008, P&G first announced plans to separate Folgers into a new Cincinnati-based company, then reversed course and agreed to sell the business to The J.M. Smucker Company. Smucker completed the acquisition in November 2008 through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction, making Folgers part of its food and beverage portfolio. The brand remains active, with its principal business concentrated in the United States and additional distribution in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and selected Asian markets. Folgers primarily occupies the mainstream household coffee segment. Its range includes conventional ground coffee in cans, instant coffee crystals, flavored and milder-roast offerings, decaffeinated products, coffee pods, and the premium-oriented 1850 line introduced in 2018. The brand’s positioning combines familiarity, convenience, broad retail availability, and accessible pricing rather than specialty-coffee exclusivity.

Folgers developed from the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, founded in San Francisco in 1850 by William H. Bovee. At the time, many consumers purchased green beans and prepared them at home. Bovee’s enterprise sold roasted and ground coffee, an offering that reduced preparation work and helped establish the commercial coffee model that Folgers would later scale. James A. Folger arrived in California from Nantucket as a teenager with his two older brothers. He initially worked as a carpenter helping construct Bovee’s mill. After saving enough money to acquire an interest, he left temporarily to pursue gold-mining opportunities while agreeing to transport coffee and spice samples to merchants along his route. When he returned to San Francisco in 1865, he became a full partner. In 1872, he bought out the other partners and renamed the company J.A. Folger & Co. Following James Folger’s death in 1889, his eldest son, James A. Folger II, became president at age 26. The family business expanded during the early twentieth century, with salesman Frank P. Atha playing an important role in regional growth. Atha proposed and managed a Texas plant, enabling Folgers to move beyond its original California territory. Later, under Peter Folger, the company became one of the principal coffee businesses in North America. The company’s physical and distribution footprint continued to change with the coffee trade. Construction began on a Folger plant in New Orleans in 1960, supported by shipping routes connected to Central American coffee supplies. Procter & Gamble acquired Folger’s in 1963 and removed the apostrophe from the brand name. Under P&G, Folgers expanded its national mass-market presence and became closely identified with television advertising, supermarket distribution, and packaged coffee formats. Advertising was central to the brand’s cultural identity. From 1965 through 1986, commercials frequently featured the character Mrs. Olson, played by Virginia Christine, who recommended Folgers to households experiencing coffee-related problems. Earlier campaigns also promoted instant coffee by presenting mock demonstrations in upscale restaurants, where diners were told that the coffee had secretly been replaced with Folgers. The “The best part of waking up” slogan and its associated jingle became especially durable; the jingle was introduced broadly in the 1980s and was subsequently rearranged and performed by numerous artists. Folgers also built associations with seasonal television, notably the 1985 “Peter Comes Home For Christmas” commercial, and with sports marketing through NASCAR sponsorships beginning in the mid-1980s. Later campaigns used online and viral distribution, including “Happy Mornings” in 2006 and the holiday-themed “Coming Home” in 2009. P&G’s ownership ended after a change in strategic direction. In January 2008, the company proposed a spin-off, but by June it announced that Smucker would acquire Folgers. The transaction closed in November 2008 using a Reverse Morris Trust structure. Folgers is now a J.M. Smucker brand. Its portfolio includes ground, instant, decaffeinated, flavored, dark-roast, pod, and premium products, with New Orleans remaining associated with production and roasting.

• 2018

  1850 premium line launches

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  Folgers introduces 1850, a premium-positioned line named after the brand’s origin year.

• 2008

  Folgers joins The J.M. Smucker Company

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  Smucker completes the acquisition of Folgers after P&G abandons its proposed spin-off plan.

• 1984

  Signature jingle becomes a recurring advertising asset

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  The brand’s best-known “best part of waking up” jingle becomes a recurring feature of its advertising.

• 1963

  Procter & Gamble acquires Folgers

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  P&G acquires the coffee company and subsequently uses the Folgers spelling without an apostrophe.

• 1960

  New Orleans plant construction begins

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  Folgers begins construction of a New Orleans facility as shipping links to Central American coffee supplies become important.

• 1889

  James A. Folger II becomes president

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  Following James A. Folger’s death, his eldest son assumes the presidency.

• 1872

  Business renamed J.A. Folger & Co.

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  James A. Folger buys out the other partners and gives the company his name.

• 1865

  James A. Folger becomes a full partner

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  After working at the mill and soliciting merchant orders, James A. Folger returns to San Francisco and joins the business as a full partner.

• 1850

  Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills is founded

  [1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  William H. Bovee establishes the San Francisco business that became the precursor to Folgers.

Mainstream household coffee centered on familiar American flavor, convenience, wide availability, and value, with selected premium, dark-roast, flavored, and single-serve extensions.

• Ground coffee

  Classic Roast

  A core medium-roast offering and one of Folgers’ most recognizable household products. It is sold in traditional packaged ground-coffee formats and has also been offered in decaffeinated and half-caffeinated variants.

• Dark-roast coffee

  Black Silk

  A darker-roast Folgers line positioned for consumers seeking a fuller, stronger coffee profile. The range has included both regular and decaffeinated versions.

• Instant coffee

  Folgers Crystals

  Freeze-dried instant coffee sold in regular and decaffeinated forms. The product became particularly visible through Folgers’ instant-coffee advertising and has also been distributed outside the United States.

• Single-serve coffee

  Folgers Coffee Pods and K-Cup Pods

  Single-serve formats extending Folgers into pod-based preparation. The range has included multiple roasts and flavors designed for compatible brewing systems.

• Dark-roast coffee

  Folgers Noir

  A dark-roast sub-line distinguished in the brand’s packaging system by a black visual background. It broadens Folgers’ roast spectrum beyond its traditional mainstream blends.

• Ground coffee

  Folgers Simply Smooth

  A milder coffee positioned as gentler on the stomach, with a decaffeinated version also offered. It addresses consumers who want a softer flavor and drinking profile.

• Premium coffee · 2018

  Folgers 1850

  A premium-oriented line introduced in 2018. Its name references the year associated with the founding of Folgers’ predecessor and gives the brand a distinct platform above its traditional value-oriented portfolio.

• 2009

  Coming Home advertisement criticism

  Folgers’ holiday advertisement “Coming Home” was widely circulated and criticized by some viewers who perceived inappropriate sexual tension between the brother and sister portrayed in the spot. The criticism concerned the commercial’s interpretation and tone rather than a documented corporate misconduct finding.

  Source

Read more

• 2014Jingle thirtieth anniversary

  United States

  Folgers marked thirty years of association with its signature “best part of waking up” advertising jingle.

  Outcome. Reinforced the jingle as a central heritage asset.

  Source
• 2009Coming Home

  United States

  A holiday advertisement showed a man returning to his parents’ home after volunteering in West Africa and reuniting with his teenage sister. The commercial circulated widely online and attracted criticism over viewers’ interpretation of the siblings’ interaction.

  Outcome. Generated substantial online attention, including controversy about the advertisement’s perceived tone.

  Source
• 2006Happy Mornings

  United States

  A Saatchi & Saatchi viral advertisement used a large group of singers and dancers appearing at sunrise to dramatize the energizing role of morning coffee.

  Outcome. Extended Folgers’ morning positioning into viral and online advertising.

  Source
• 1985Peter Comes Home For Christmas

  United States

  A holiday commercial depicted a college student returning home, with the aroma of Folgers coffee helping reveal his arrival to his family. The spot became a recurring Christmas television advertisement.

  Outcome. Made Folgers strongly associated with holiday and family-homecoming advertising.

  Source
• 1985NASCAR sponsorship

  United States

  Folgers began NASCAR sponsorship activity with a trial season involving a Chevrolet driven by Joe Ruttman and owned by Larry McClure, later expanding its racing sponsorship presence.

  Outcome. Connected the coffee brand with American motorsports audiences.

  Source
• 1970High-end restaurant coffee switch

  United States

  Commercials presented upscale restaurants in which Folgers instant coffee was supposedly substituted for the establishments’ normal coffee, followed by observations of whether diners noticed the change.

  Outcome. Promoted instant Folgers through a taste-comparison advertising device.

  Source
• 1965Mrs. Olson

  United States

  A long-running television campaign featured Virginia Christine as Mrs. Olson, a Swedish neighbor who advised household characters to solve coffee problems with Folgers. The campaign ran from 1965 through 1986 and helped give the brand a recognizable advertising personality.

  Outcome. Established a durable mass-market television identity for Folgers.

  Source

• 2018

  Launch of Folgers 1850Product launch

  Background

  Folgers sought to extend its portfolio beyond its traditional mainstream household positioning.

  Action taken

  The company introduced 1850 as a premium-oriented coffee line.

  Aftermath

  The line created a distinct premium platform within the Folgers brand architecture.

  Source

• 2008

  Sale to The J.M. Smucker CompanyM&A

  Background

  P&G initially planned to spin Folgers off into a separate company, then changed course and selected Smucker as the buyer.

  Action taken

  Smucker acquired Folgers in November 2008 through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction.

  Aftermath

  Folgers became a subsidiary and major coffee brand within Smucker’s food and beverage business.

  Source

• 1963

  Procter & Gamble acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Folgers had grown from a regional coffee company into a major North American coffee business, making it an attractive addition to P&G’s consumer portfolio.

  Action taken

  Procter & Gamble acquired the company and removed the apostrophe from the brand name.

  Aftermath

  Folgers expanded its national mass-market presence under P&G ownership.

  Source

• 2018

  Folgers launches the 1850 premium coffee brand[1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Folgers introduced 1850 as a premium-oriented coffee line named for the year associated with the company’s origins.

• 2008

  Procter & Gamble announces plans to spin off Folgers[1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  P&G announced that Folgers would be separated into a distinct Cincinnati-based company, but later abandoned that structure in favor of a sale to The J.M. Smucker Company.

• 2008

  The J.M. Smucker Company acquires Folgers[1]Folgersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Smucker completed its acquisition of Folgers in November through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction, adding the coffee brand to its food and beverage portfolio.

1. 1Folgersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Folgers official websitefolgerscoffee.com