All About Coffee Part 89

[Ill.u.s.tration: LOOKING NORTH FROM WALL STREET. HERE A FEW WELL KNOWN COFFEE FIRMS ARE LOCATED

The trend of the trade is south from Wall St. rather than north]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRONT STREET, NEW YORK'S GREEN COFFEE DISTRICT, IN 1922]

IMPORTS OF COFFEE AT LEADING PORTS OF ENTRY IN THE UNITED STATES

New York New Orleans San Francisco Total Imports _Pounds_ _Pounds_ _Pounds_ _Pounds_

1900 676,227,269 44,335,717 24,562,578 787,991,911 1913 554,571,449 263,382,962 36,067,073 863,130,757 1914 633,400,209 308,008,145 46,721,824 1,001,528,317 1915 758,160,133 307,868,932 45,844,060 1,118,690,524 1916 814,394,074 308,513,290 71,346,788 1,201,104,485 1917 932,098,113 274,989,692 97,821,069 1,319,870,802 1918 779,025,781 219,330,461 134,729,019 1,143,890,889 1918[K] 757,710,001 146,621,857 130,178,288 1,052,201,501 1919[K] 804,177,446 356,608,477 160,426,467 1,333,564,067 1920[K] 767,242,636 380,293,701 137,043,281 1,297,439,310 1921[K] 790,559,919 331,036,770 139,069,286 1,340,979,776

[K] Calendar years. All others fiscal years.

New Orleans began her advance at about the same time that Baltimore began to fall off, so that her rise to a place of importance as a coffee port has been practically coincident with the twentieth century. Her first big step upward was in 1901, from 44,000,000 to 72,000,000 pounds, and was followed by another the next year to 115,000,000. Thereafter there was a steady gain to 213,000,000 pounds in 1906 and to 301,000,000 pounds in 1910, and after that wide fluctuations, especially during the war. In 1918, doubtless because of the draining of s.h.i.+pping to the North Atlantic service, there was a heavy slump; but immediately after the war, in the calendar year 1919, there was a big jump to a record mark, up to that time, of 356,000,000 pounds. This was followed by the record of 380,000,000 pounds in the calendar year 1920, although the 1921 figure of 331,036,770 shows a falling off of nearly 50,000,000 pounds.

San Francisco's growth, on the other hand, is of recent occurrence. The story is told farther along in this chapter, how the city was definitely placed on the coffee map by the provision of adequate s.h.i.+pping facilities to Central America. The outbreak of the war in Europe, however, which loosened the grip of European nations on the coffee crops of Central America, was the prime cause of San Francisco's rise in the coffee world, affording her an opportunity of which she had the enterprise to take full advantage. In 1913, her imports were only about 36,000,000 pounds, at which mark they had stood for many years. There was only a slight gain until 1916, when 71,000,000 pounds were recorded; but this increased to 97,000,000 pounds in 1917, to 134,000,000 pounds in 1918 (fiscal year), and to 160,000,000 pounds in the calendar year 1919. In 1920, there was a falling off to 137,000,000 pounds, and it may be that the high figure reached the year before represents about the maximum that her natural market, the Pacific-coast region, can well absorb.

For the benefit of those who like to do their own interpreting of figures, we present in the table at the top of this page the official record for recent years.

The leading importers of Brazil coffee direct to New York and Baltimore in 1894, as compiled by William H. Force & Co., were as follows.

Included in this list are a number of names well known in the green and roasted coffee trades of other cities:

DIRECT IMPORTERS OF BRAZIL COFFEE _New York, 1894_

_Bags_

Arbuckle Bros. 688,726 W.H. Crossman & Bro. 355,864 Hard & Rand. 345,541 W.F. McLaughlin & Co. 227,935 J.W. Doane & Co. 207,170 Steinwender, Stoffregen Co. 132,482 J.L. Phipps & Co. 54,617 Dannemillers & Co. 49,449 E. Levering & Co. 47,322 Aug. Stumpp. 44,959 Thomson & Taylor Spice Co. 44,017 G. Amsinck & Co. 38,350 E.H. & W.J. Peck. 33,278 J.H. Labaree & Co. 32,071 Fitch & Howland. 31,515 s.h.i.+nkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 25,951 C.D. Lathrop & Co. 23,263 Taylor & Levering. 21,501 Heinrich Haase. 18,976 William T. Levering. 18,796 T.G. Lurman & Co. 18,017 Elmenhorst & Co. 16,221 Sprague, Warner & Co. 14,856 Sorver, Damon & Co. 14,675 Sutton & Vansant 13,957 John O'Donohue's Sons 13,681 Hoffman, Lee & Co. 13,598 S.R. Alexander 12,805 Eppens, Smith & Wiemann Co. 12,719 Baker & Young 11,906 Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 11,318 Durand & Kasper Co. 11,124 Wm. Schotten & Co. 11,005 C.G. Bullard & Co. 10,653 H.W. Banks & Co. 10,351 Ellis Bros. 10,282 Jacob Baiz 9,146 A. Lueder & Co. 8,492 C.F. Pitt & Sons 8,262 G.F. Gillman 7,927 Bell, Conrad & Co. 6,528 N. Martin & Co. 6,507 J.B. O'Donohue & Co. 6,102 Steele, Wedeles Co. 5,700 G.O. Gordon 5,550 Sherman Bros. & Co. 4,998 F. MacVeagh & Co. 4,763 Benedict & Co. 4,717 Chase & Sanborn 4,505 West & Melchers 4,500 Mokaska Mfg. Co. 4,013 Haebler & Co. 4,000 Robt. Crooks & Co. 3,509 M.M. Levy & Co. 3,037 J.A. Tolman Co. 3,004 Tracy & Avery Co. 3,000 Wells Bros. 2,800 Kirby, Halsted & Chapin Co. 2,754 W.M. Hoyt Co. 2,252 Gt. A. & P. Tea Co. 2,250 Foote & Knevals 2,000 L.W. Minford & Co. 1,800 Wm. Bayne & Co. 1,755 Indiana Coffee Co. 1,650 W.K. Carson & Co. 1,501 Miller, Smith & Co. 1,500 Rufus Woods 1,498 J.G. Flint 1,345 Davenport & Morris 1,250 Canada 1,140 Westfeldt Bros. 1,000 Edw. Westen T. & S. Co. 800 Corbin, May & Co. 750 F. Cannon & Co. 618 Adam Roth Gro. Co. 500 Scudder, Gale Gro. Co. 500 J.H. Taylor & Co. 500 Wm. B. Willson 500 Dwinell, Wright & Co. 500 Swift, Billings & Co. 500 New Orleans Coffee Co. 500 B. Fischer & Co. 401 Smith & Schipper 300 Ulman, Lewis & Co. 281 Ridenour, Baker Gro. Co. 250 W.H. Minor 250 Nave & McCord Merc. Co. 202 Skiddy, Minford & Co. 196 Rossbach & Bro. 184 L. Wolff 149 Reimers & Meyer 50 W.F. Jackson 5 --------- Total 2,791,642

DIRECT IMPORTERS OF BRAZIL COFFEE _Baltimore, 1894_

_Bags_ E. Levering & Co. 40,965 T.G. Lurman & Co. 29,325 C.M. Stewart & Co. 25,499 Thornton Rollins 21,436 William T. Levering 15,884 Steinwender, Stoffregen 12,852 W.B. Willson 11,540 Hoffman, Lee & Co. 8,953 Rufus Woods 8,020 P.T. George & Co. 7,463 Taylor & Levering 6,440 Benedict & Co. 5,434 Brazil Trading Co. 2,666 C.F. Pitt & Sons 2,505 J.W. Doane & Co. 2,500 Enterprise Coffee Co. 1,811 H.M. Wagner & Co. 504 C.D. Lathrop & Co. 503 Mokaska Manufacturing Co. 500 Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 500 s.h.i.+nkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 404 G. Amsinck & Co. 400 Indiana Coffee Co. 251 ------- Total 206,355

_Early Days of Green Coffee in New Orleans_

The history of New Orleans as a coffee port may be considered as beginning with the transfer of Louisiana by Napoleon Bonaparte to the United States in 1803. In this year, according to Martin's _History of Louisiana_, New Orleans imported 1438 bags of coffee of 132 pounds each.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, settlers in large numbers had crossed the Allegheny Mountains from the Atlantic states into the valley of the Ohio River; and their crops of grain and provisions were exported by means of cheaply constructed rafts and boats, which were floated down the river to New Orleans, where they were generally broken up and sold for use as lumber and firewood--there being, at that time, no power available for propelling them back against the current of the river.

From 1803 until 1820, on account of the difficulty of navigating upstream, New Orleans imports did not increase as rapidly as exports. In 1814, however, the first crude steamboat had begun to carry freight on the river; and by 1820, the supremacy of New Orleans as the gateway of the Mississippi Valley had been for the time established by this new means of transportation. The coffee-importing business flourished; and, from its modest beginning in 1803, grew to 531,236 bags in 1857.

By this time, however, New Orleans had begun to feel the compet.i.tion of the Erie Ca.n.a.l, and of the systems of east and west railroad lines which had been in the course of active construction during the preceding fifteen years. The railroad systems which had as their ports Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, entered upon a desperate war of freight rates, each in the endeavor to establish the supremacy of its own port. As the building of railroads had been entirely east and west, and no large amount of capital had been invested in north and south lines, much of the business of the valley was diverted to the Atlantic ports, apparently never to return to New Orleans.

In 1862, on account of the blockade of the port, not a bag of coffee was imported through New Orleans, and practically none came in until the year 1866, when the small amount of 55,000 bags was the total for the year. At about this time, Boston and Philadelphia became negligible importing quant.i.ties; the business of Baltimore continued to be quite prosperous; and New York rapidly increased her imports and took the commanding position.

[Ill.u.s.tration: IN THE NEW ORLEANS COFFEE DISTRICT]

New Orleans had increased her coffee imports to 250,000 bags in 1871, and the yearly imports continued at about this figure until the last decade of the century, when the business began to expand. The imports had reached a total of 337,000 bags in 1893-1894; and of 373,000 in 1896-97. This was the beginning of a new era, and the coffee business of New Orleans entered upon the period of its greatest growth. Imports were 514,000 bags in 1900-01, and were slightly more than twice that by 1903-04. In 1909-10 the imports had again doubled, and had reached a total for the twelve months ending July 1, 1909, of slightly more than 2,000,000 bags; while the figures for the calendar year 1909 totaled 2,500,000 bags.

Borino & Bro., 77 Gravier Street, were the largest importers of coffee in New Orleans in 1869. The princ.i.p.al importers in 1880 were P. Poursine & Co., Westfeldt Bros., Dymond & Gardes, Schmidt & Ziegler, J.L. Phipps & Co., Geo. O. Gordon & Co., and Smith Bros.

s.h.i.+pments were by sailing vessels, a full cargo being about 5000 bags.

Fancy grades, like Golden Rios, washed and peaberries, were s.h.i.+pped in double bags. Musty coffees were common, and every bag in a cargo was sampled for must. S. Jackson was first to issue regular manifests. With the entry of steamers into the coffee transport business, New Orleans was placed at a disadvantage as steamer rates were about twenty cents a bag higher to New Orleans than to New York, and imports were limited.

The subsequent revival of the business was due largely to Hard & Rand.

Being unable to obtain steamer rates equal to those quoted in New York, Hard & Rand chartered steamers for New Orleans; and soon the trade began to offer cost and freight to New Orleans, and the business grew from about 350,000 bags of green coffee per annum to 2,500,000 bags.

One of the best remembered names in the green coffee trade of New Orleans is that of Charles Dittman (1848-1920), who for nearly fifty years was one of the leading coffee commission merchants of the country.

Mr. Dittman entered the coffee business with Napier & Co., representing E. Johnston & Co., of Rio de Janeiro. In 1875, upon the death of Mr.

Napier, the firm changed to Johnston, Gordon & Co., later to G.O.

Gordon, and in 1886 to the Charles Dittmann Co. Since his death in 1920, the business has been continued by F.V. Allain and Charles Dittmann, Jr.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A SECTION OF THE GREEN COFFEE DISTRICT OF NEW ORLEANS

Most of the buildings shown here are occupied by green coffee importing houses. The one on the right with the balconies is the old Board of Trade Building]

_Green Coffee in San Francisco_

In the early days of the green coffee business in San Francisco these names stood out as most important among the coffee importers: h.e.l.lmann Bros. & Co., Montealegre & Co., E.L.G.S. Steele & Co., and Urruella & Urioste.

From their many friends in Central America, they, and others in their line, obtained small consignments that were bought by the roasters according to their immediate needs. Often as many as five or six buyers would share in a parcel of fifty bags, as they were not in the custom of filling up the larder for days of want. There always seemed to be sufficient for every one, and bull movements and corners had not then become the vogue.

Just as today, the mainstays of the early San Francisco trade were coffees produced in Costa Rica, Salvador, and Guatemala, although some were brought from the Colima district of Mexico. The broker had a comparatively easy job in selling his wares. Samples of the lots would be given to him in carefully sealed gla.s.s bottles, and usually the buyer would trust his discerning eye to judge correctly the quality of the goods, not even taking the trouble to uncork the bottle. Size, color, and imperfections would be his criterion.

The leading coffee importers at San Francisco in 1875 were B.E. Auger & Co., 409 Battery; S.A. Carit & Co., 405 Front Street; h.e.l.lmann Bros. & Co., 525 Front Street; Adolphe Low & Co., 208 California Street; S.C.

Merrill & Co., 204 California Street; Parrott & Co., 306 California Street; and Urruella & Urioste, 405 Front Street.

The annual consumption of green coffee in San Francisco in the early eighties was estimated at 100,000 bags.

A marked change in the coffee business of San Francisco was brought about by the discovery that the differences in the taste of coffees could not be accurately detected from their color or from the size of bean. To Clarence E. Bickford belongs the credit of having discovered the cup qualities of high-grown Central American coffees. He was employed at the time by a broker named Hockhofler, and probably did not realize what far-reaching effect his discovery would have on the future of San Francisco's coffee trade; but no other factor has contributed so much to its growth. When the roasters began to examine coffees for their taste, values were of course revolutionized. Antiguas, and other high-grown coffees, that had theretofore been penalized for the small size of bean, soon brought a premium, and have ever since been in great demand. It goes without saying that the new cla.s.sification was of material a.s.sistance to the roasters in bettering their output, as blending was then put on a scientific basis.

About the middle of the nineties San Francis...o...b..gan to function as a distributing center, and s.h.i.+pments were made from there to St. Louis and Cincinnati. The selection of coffees on their cup merit was undoubtedly a factor of considerable importance in creating new outlets; although it is generally conceded that the winning personality of C.E. Bickford helped considerably. Mr. Bickford, by this time, had succeeded his former employer. He served the trade by living up to the best standards of business practise until his death in 1908; when the inst.i.tution he founded was continued by E.H. O'Brien under the name of C.E. Bickford & Co.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CALIFORNIA STREET, THE COFFEE-TRADING CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO]

San Francisco imported 175,293 bags of coffee in 1900. Imports had grown to 256,183 bags by 1906; and the following were the leading importers, as taken from a compilation by C.E. Bickford & Co.:

IMPORTERS OF COFFEE BY SEA _San Francisco, 1906_

_Bags_

Haas Bros. 38,947 Otis, McAllister & Co. 34,342 Jno. T. Wright 21,741 Geo. A. Moore & Co. 17,851 Castle Bros. 17,397 Lastreto & Co. 15,609 Bloom Bros. 14,372 W.R. Grace & Co. 14,143 Baruch & Co. 9,400 Schwartz Bros. 7,310 Dieckmann & Co. 6,981 H. Hackfeld & Co., Ltd. 4,466 M.J. Brandenstein & Co. 4,281 Urioste & Co. 4,081 Goldtree, Liebes & Co. 3,962 J.Z. Posadas. 3,950 Mohns-Frese Com. Co. 3,714 Welch & Co. 3,385 Thannhauser & Co. 3,328 E. Mejia 2,965 Hind, Rolph & Co. 2,814 h.e.l.lmann Bros. & Co. 2,170 Parrott & Co. 2,137 J.A. Folger & Co. 2,094 S.L. Jones & Co. 2,042 Ariza & Lombard 1,133 Hamberger-Polhemus Co. 1,096 Theo. H. Davies & Co., Ltd. 955 Livierato Freres 927 J.D. Spreckels & Bros. Co. 828 McCarthy Bros. 795 W. Loaiza & Co. 642 Wm. Halla 591 H.W. Burmester 582 Williams, Dimond & Co. 399 M. Phillips & Co. 381 Alexander & Baldwin 358 London, Paris & Am. Bank, Ltd. 333 P.J. Knudsen Co. 309 Ballou & Cosgrove 300 M. Schweitzer & Co. 300 Johnson-Locke Merc. Co. 270 The Lewin-Meyer Co. 250 Sperry Flour Co. 231 Canadian Bank of Commerce 200 Porto Rico Coffee Co. 148 McChesney & Sons 145 Bowring & Co. 145 China & Java Export Co. 140 John Weissman 126 Montealegre & Co. 120 W.H. Miller 109 Maldonado & Co. 105 De Fremery & Co. 100 Sundries 683 ------- Total 256,183

[Ill.u.s.tration: BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO'S COFFEE DISTRICT]

The imports of green coffee at San Francisco in 1914-15 amounted to about 400,000 bags. The beginning of the World War was almost coincidental with an energetic campaign waged by San Francisco coffee interests to popularize Central American coffees, and particularly Guatemalas, in this country. The time was well chosen, as the world's exposition at San Francisco offered a good opportunity to acquaint the public with the fine qualities of Guatemala growths. Furthermore, it was necessary to create new markets for these coffees, which in former years had been very extensively used in Europe. Figures show that San Francisco's efforts were crowned with success. In 1916, the importation increased by fifty percent; and in 1917, importations were double those of 1915. In 1918, a total of nearly 1,000,000 bags was reached; and this mark was pa.s.sed by almost 200,000 in 1919. In 1920, 971,567 bags were imported.

The origin of San Francisco's fight for control of Central American coffee dates back to the years 1908 to 1910, when the German Kosmos Line was fighting the Pacific Mail for the Central and South American s.h.i.+pping business. W.R. Grace & Co., at that time, were already the heaviest s.h.i.+ppers of American merchandise to the Latin-American countries; and while their own steamers were not touching at Central American ports, they were handling merchandise from the United States and nitrates from the South American countries in their own bottoms, and were also engaged as general carriers for that trade. The fight directed by the Kosmos Line against the Pacific Mail, which at that time was under the control of the Southern Pacific Company, was accordingly directed against the Grace interests also, so far as South American countries were concerned. The fight was long and bitter, and costly to both sides. At times, the contenders offered to take freight, not only without charge, but to pay the s.h.i.+pper a premium for the privilege of carrying his freight.