The Story Behind the 1918 Coffee Company
We created the 1918 coffee company to honor our grandfather and for all of the hard working people just like him who need some real quality coffee during their day.
Our Story
My sister and I were raised by our depression era grandparents. They were attentive and loving and even though this clearly was not their plan, they took good care of us just the same. Some of my best memories were being up early with my grandmother before dawn preparing my grandfather's breakfast and his lunch for the day.
My grandmother had a strict routine and I became very accustomed to it. We would get up just before dawn and go into the kitchen, turn the lights on and the first thing she would do was turn on her small transistor radio. Together we would listen to national public news as she assembled the coffee percolator that she had clean and prepared the night before. She'd fill it with water, place a filter then add the coffee. Sometimes she would have to open a new can of ground coffee and eventually she gave me this tasks. Then she'd turn the machine on and the coffee would begin to percolate for my grandfather. Freshly brewed coffee became synonyms with morning. I can smell it now even as I type.
I remember very vividly the sounds of the radio, the sound of the coffee percolating and the smell of the coffee as it brewed. As the coffee brewed in the percolator, my grandmother would prepare and pack my grandfather’s lunch. He had a metal victory lunch box with a big coffee thermos. I only now understand the significance of the victory lunchbox but I always thought it was very remarkable that she’d fill and place such a large thermos of black coffee and add often one or two simple bologna sandwiches and perhaps an apple or a banana. I thought it was such a small lunch given that he was doing such hard work all day at the Papermill. Then she’d make breakfast for us all, as I got a little older I would help with all of these things to a small degree. Our grandfather was a World War II veteran and the war left an indelible mark on him. In my youth he would tell me stories of his adventures and experiences during the war and as with his favorite Victory lunch box I now appreciated what he had gone through more than ever. He was born in 1918 into a family of a Sottish blacksmiths in Oklahoma. His father and uncle had immigrated from Scotland to build their lives and families in the US.
Our logo was created with respect to the history that inspired 1918 Coffee Co.. We had to put our Grandfather's Victory lunch Box and thermos in the logo because that was such a big part of his life and our memory. Our family history started as blacksmiths and we are creative inventors so we had to put in the Anvil. Our Grandfather showed us that hard work can pay off in the end. We hope that you will enjoy our coffee and make many memories to pass on your family and friends.