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Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929
The story of a pantry shelf, an outline history of grocery specialties: a machine-readable transcription.
From Plantation to Cup
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From Plantation to Cup
A Business Evolution of Over Three-Quarters
of a Century That Has
Brought About a Complete Service--for
Buying, Roasting, Packaging and
Distributing a Superior Coffee
A Business Evolution of Over Three-Quarters of a Century That Has Brought About a Complete Service--for Buying, Roasting, Packaging and Distributing a Superior Coffee
The business of the Dwinell--Wright Company began over three-quarters of a century ago. It was founded about 1845 by Mr. James F. Dwinell, who established a small coffee business on one of Boston's many crooked streets under the firm name of Dwinell & Company.
A policy of "The best and nothing but the best" was adopted and consistently maintained, a very difficult matter at that time, the now familiar sealed and trade-marked package not having been developed.
Mr. George C. Wright, the first President of the Dwinell-Wright Company was one of the pioneers of the business,--Mr. Dwinell and Mr. Hayward having started in separate companies a few years earlier,--about 1849. Afterwards they came together. Mr. Hayward retired in 1892, and on Mr.
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Dwinell's death in 1898 a Massachusetts Corporation was formed under the title, Dwinell-Wright Company.
Boston has always been the home of the expert coffee tester and blender, and Mr. George C. Wright was looked to as being one of the most expert, being gifted with that sixth sense necessary in selecting and blending the various types of coffee berry so as to produce that elusive flavor and smoothness so eagerly sought in coffee, the worlds' most popular drink.
It was the custom at this time for the coffee buyer to purchase and judge his green coffee solely by the appearance of the berry. Mr. Wright first introduced an innovation in this hit-or-miss manner of buying by using an old-fashioned corn popper, with which he roasted a small sample of each lot of green coffee submitted for examination. At that time, this aroused a good deal of good-natured ridicule and banter, but today there are very few coffee merchants who do not test each lot of coffee by actually cupping and tasting a small sample of each lot submitted. The corn popper method would hardly be fast enough for the company's present requirements and has been partly superseded by a battery of six small roasters driven by a motor with small electrical grinding mills.
Three generations of Wrights, George C. Wright, the founder, George S. Wright, the present active President, and Warren M. Wright, a member of the Board of Directors, in an uninterrupted period of over seventy-five years, have developed the science of coffee selection and blending to an extremely high degree. Today the users of White House Coffee enjoy the benefits of this ripe experience.
Not only has the stability of the Company been assured by the personal and intensive application of the founders of the business, but such men as Holland, Miller, Crampton, Perry, Bacon, Dickerman, Shaw, Baker and Sale have grown up with and have been identified in the business for more than twenty-five years each. Their loyal and enthusiastic support has been a great factor in the success of the business.
In the early history of the Company, the two partners did all of the manual work of blending and roasting in addition to carrying the responsibility of business detail. Sales were
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confined largely to local markets, for rapid distribution as we know it today was not thought of.
Development of the railroad, the telephone and telegraph broadened their field; they installed one of the first telephones used in this country, and in 1878 their name was listed among the sixty-seven printed in the first telephone directory ever issued. The daily output grew steadily in volume. Additional help was added, the partners then devoting all their time and energy to general management and finance.
The rapidly growing business taxed their ingenuity in seeking and devising new processes and methods where quality, if possible, could be improved upon and production speeded up to meet the rapidly growing demand.
About this time, it was determined to market their highest grade coffee in sealed packages. This was a radical move.
Introducing the package was a test of the firm's popularity and reputation, because it meant the purchase of coffee "sight unseen," the buyer having faith in the firm's policy of "The best and nothing but the best."
The type of package used was the best obtainable at that time, and though it has since been changed as mechanical ingenuity has made better packages possible, it is interesting that the familiar blue, white and gold label showing a picture of the White House has always been retained.
Success was instantaneous, and from this beginning the "White House" package grew more and more popular until today a force of over seventy salesmen serve more than twenty-five thousand dealers throughout the United States and Canada who sell "White House" brand with confidence, knowing that over three-quarters of a century of experience in the preparation of quality coffee is reflected in the Dwinell-Wright Company's "White House" trade-mark.
The popularity of the new package made larger quarters imperative. In 1904, a large modern building, equipped for the preparing and handling of coffee and tea exclusively, was erected at 311-319 Summer Street. In 1923, a five story spacious warehouse, 50 x 150, was erected close to the factory for general storage purposes. Every worth-while appliance and
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device which would aid in the sanitary preparation of coffee and tea was installed, the finished plant being a model of its kind. Surely a history and achievement to be proud of.
The selection by the Dwinell-Wright Company of the double-sealed package was the result of the most careful investigation and tests, and machinery manufactured by the Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Ltd., was installed to make and fill the package automatically and inexpensively.
These machines operate in a manner "almost human". In fact, human fingers could not begin to follow the deft and rapid way each carton is picked from a stack by a long knife or finger, placing it on a block.
Small rollers then apply glue to the flaps that make the bottom of the carton, and automatic fingers fold them in place. Two thousand pounds pressure are applied to press the glued flaps together, making sure that a positively tight seal is made.
After the bottoms are sealed, the moisture-resisting bag is placed in the carton. The bag is made automatically, a piece of specially prepared paper the proper size being cut out from a large roll is formed round a block, then plunged into the carton.
Next comes the weighing and filling. Chutes carry the coffee from the floor above to weighing machines fitted with two hoppers, the lined carton passing under the first hopper which drops about three-quarters of the desired weight of coffee. The partly filled carton is then jiggled about, for all the world looking as though it were dancing with joy at receiving such a pleasant filling. At the second hopper just enough coffee is released into the carton to make exactly the weight required, no more, no less.
The filled package is now sealed at the top, the paper lining being folded in with the top flaps of the carton, to insure the double protective seal, and held in a series of moving belts to make sure the adhesive is set and the package tight.
No human hand has touched the coffee during the process. The entire operation of packing being wholly automatic insures White House Coffee reaching the consumer in a perfectly sanitary condition.
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