After the
California Gold Rush,
San Francisco became a center of coffee importing and roasting in the
western United States, spawning such future industry giants as
Folgers Coffee and
Hills Brothers Coffee. In 1881 Max J. Brandenstein (1860-1925), son of tobacco wholesaler
Joseph Brandenstein, began roasting coffee in the
San Francisco Bay Area. In 1899 he established a tea, spice and coffee import business in his name that took over his brand with the assistance of brothers Mannie, Charlie, and Eddie. The firm's name was later changed to the MJB Co. to minimize sibling rivalry and disguise their German-Jewish origins. In her 1978 memoir
Coffee, Martinis and San Francisco, Ruth Bransten McDougall, the granddaughter of the founder, wrote that her father Mannie Brandenstein changed his name to Bransten to protect the business against anti-German sentiments during
World War I, as well as to please his wife, whose family originated from France. In 1900 Mannie Brandenstein debuted what was to become a well-known advertising campaign: "MJB Coffee Why?" In time, signs bearing the slogan appeared all over the San Francisco Bay Area. For the
Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 MJB created a temporary "ultramodern"
coffee house featuring a giant cup and saucer on the roof with the illuminated word "WHY." In the 1940s, MJB got endorsement from several of the industry’s glitterati, including the
Cherokee Strip film stars promoting the brand. Moreover, a 1970s TV campaign of MJB taglined "tastes good when it should" featured actress
Teri Garr. The campaign's success led to her being discovered by director
Steven Spielberg, who cast her in his film
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Ruth Bransten McDougall, Mannie’s daughter wrote a book named
Under Mannie’s Hat that is a collection of memoirs of their family and brand history. MJB was acquired by
Nestle in 1985. The San Francisco headquarters were closed in 1997. In 1999
Sara Lee Corp. acquired MJB, Hills Brothers, and
Chase & Sanborn from Nestle. In 2005 MJB, Hills Brothers, Chase & Sanborn, and
Chock full o'Nuts were purchased by
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group from Sara Lee for $82.5 million. ==References==