Folgers
Folgers Coffee is a major brand of
coffee in the
US, part of the food and beverage division of
Procter & Gamble.
The Folger Coffee Company was founded by
J. A. Folger in
San Francisco, California in the
19th century. James came to San Francisco from
Nantucket Island during the
California Gold Rush. Under the mid-
20th century leadership of his great-grandson,
Peter Folger (the father of murder victim
Abigail Folger), it became one of the largest coffee concerns in
North America, which has traditionally been the largest market for coffee in the world. P&G acquired the company in
1963.
In America and Canada, there are 9 flavours of Folgers coffee (Not Including Decaf Versions): Classic Roast, Gourmet Supreme, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Chocolate Silk, Cinnamon, Simply Smooth, Mountain Roast and 100% Colombian.
"The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!" is Folgers' well-known slogan. In some commercials for Folgers, the slogan was sung as a jingle by the
a cappella musical group
Rockapella.
Folgers was known for many years for
television advertising, with one of its best-known campaigns involving "Mrs. Olson," a
Swedish neighbor to many of the campaign's other characters, who invariably recommended a cup of Folgers coffee as a solution to all of their (minor) problems. She also invariably reminded her listeners that Folgers was "mountain grown, the richest kind of coffee." Actress
Virginia Christine portrayed Mrs. Olson in television advertisements from
1965 to
1986.
Another famous advertising campaign from the early
1980s took the viewer inside various gourmet restaurants as a voice-over whispered, "We are here at (insert name of four-star restaurant), where we've secretly replaced the fine coffee they usually serve with Folgers Crystals. Let's see if anyone can tell the difference!" Of course, no one ever did.
In
2006, the advertising agency
Saatchi & Saatchi created a
viral advertisement, popularly known as "Happy Mornings," for Folgers. The ad, in which a large group of impossibly cheerful singers and dancers appear at sunrise to wake people up, has been widely distributed on
weblogs and video sites such as
YouTube.
The brick, five-story Folger Building at 101 Harrison in
San Francisco, California was the former headquarters of Folgers. It still has a sign saying "The Folgers Coffee Company" on the corner. The
Wharton Business School has its
California office there.
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Selection of 20th Century Folgers commercials*
Folgers home page*
History of Folgers
