Iconic Coffee Brand Advertising Mug

For your sipping & collecting pleasure, this vintage Hills Bros. advertising coffee mug is in good condition.

Sailing from New England to Cali. in 1873, Austin Hills, Sr. & his two sons began selling coffee, tea & related items in a market stall in 1878, then opened a store in 1882.

In 1900, son, R.W. Hills, an ardent tinkerer, stumbled upon the process of "vacuum packing" that keeps air out of packaging, resulting in fresher coffee beans. R.W's discovery remains the most widely used packaging method to this day.

Inspired by the coffee's Ethiopian origin, the "coffee taster" trademark was created by a young artist in 1906 & a life-sized sculpture of the "taster" was erected at Hills Bros. San Francisco bldg. thereafter. "The Red Can Brand" that we know so well was introduced in 1914 & their famous co. sign became a National landmark along the Embarcadero.

Hills Bros. was bought by Nestles in 1985 & by Sara Lee in 1999 before MZB USA took ownership in 2005.