Eight O'Clock Coffee facts for kids

Eight O'Clock Coffee is a well-known American coffee brand. It is made by the Eight O'Clock Coffee Company. This company is part of Tata Consumer Products. Their main coffee factory is in Landover, Maryland. Tata Consumer Products has owned the brand since 2006.

Eight O'Clock Coffee started way back in 1859. It was created by a company called The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, also known as A&P. Even after A&P sold the brand in 2003, they kept selling Eight O'Clock Coffee in their stores until 2015. Today, you can find this coffee in many supermarkets across the United States.

History of Eight O'Clock Coffee

An old newspaper ad from 1894 for "Eight O'Clock Breakfast Blend" coffee.

The company that started Eight O'Clock Coffee was first called "Gilman & Company" in 1859. They began by selling bags of whole coffee beans. People started calling this coffee "Eight O'Clock Breakfast Coffee." This was just an informal name at first.

Official Name and Popularity

In 1919, the coffee finally got its official name: "8 O'Clock." A&P also had two other coffee brands then. The story goes that A&P did a survey. They asked people what time they drank coffee most. The most common answers were 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. So, they decided to remove "Breakfast" from the name.

In 1926, 8 O'Clock coffee won a Gold Medal. This was at a big exhibition in Philadelphia. This award made the coffee stand out. A&P then started to focus more on advertising it. The packaging was also changed for the first time. Between 1927 and 1933, the '8' became 'Eight'. The new design also showed the gold medal.

In 1922, a pound of this coffee cost 25 cents.

By 1930, Eight O'Clock was the most popular coffee brand in the U.S. It held more than a quarter of the country's coffee market. In 1933, the packaging was updated again. This new look used the popular Art Deco style. This design introduced the special font that was used for almost 70 years. To help sales, coffee grinders were put in stores. This made it easy for customers to grind their coffee fresh.

Changes in Ownership

By the late 1950s, A&P, the original company, started to face problems. The company's leaders passed away. No one strong enough took their place. Over the next 20 years, A&P closed many stores. They left some big markets to other companies.

To make more money, A&P decided to license its coffee brand. In 1979, they allowed their branding division, Compass Foods, Inc., to sell Eight O'Clock Coffee to other stores. This included stores that were A&P's competitors.

In 2003, A&P's investors sold the Eight O'Clock Coffee brand. It was bought by Gryphon Investors. This was a private company from San Francisco, California. Gryphon Investors then created the independent Eight O'Clock Coffee Company. After making its own coffee products, the company was sold again. In 2006, Tata Global Beverages bought it. This company is now called Tata Consumer Products.

In 2009, Consumer Reports magazine gave Eight O'Clock Coffee a high rating. Their 100% Colombian coffee was called a "best buy." It even beat famous brands like Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks.

On August 8, 2013, the entire Eight O'Clock Coffee line got a new look. They also added new flavors.

Eight O'Clock Coffee Products

Before 2003, Eight O'Clock Coffee only came as whole beans. It was sold in a red bag. Customers could grind the coffee themselves at A&P stores.

Coffee Lineup from 2003 to 2013

From 2003 until August 8, 2013, Eight O'Clock Coffee offered many types. There were eleven different kinds. These included decaffeinated and flavored options. They came in bags from 11 to 42 ounces. You could buy them as whole beans or ground coffee. At first, the bags were all colorful. In 2010, they changed to white bags with color codes.

The coffee types available during this time included:

• Original
• Decaf Original
• 100% Colombian
• Decaf 100% Colombian
• Bokar (stopped being sold in 2012)
• French Roast
• Dark Italian Roast
• 50% Decaf
• Hazelnut
• French Vanilla
• Mocha

Coffee Lineup from 2013 Onwards

Since August 8, 2013, the coffee lineup has been divided into three main groups:

Beginnings Coffee Flavors

This group includes the classic and darker roasts.

• The Original – available as whole bean, ground, and K-Cup pods.
• Dark Italian Espresso – ground coffee.
• Dark Italian Roast – whole bean and K-Cup pods.
• French Roast – whole bean and ground coffee.
• The Original Decaf – whole bean, ground, and K-Cup pods.
• 50% Decaf – whole bean and ground coffee.

Explorations Coffee Flavors

This group features coffees from different regions.

• Colombian Peaks – whole bean, ground, and K-Cup pods.
• Central Highlands – whole bean coffee.
• African Plains – ground coffee.

Expressions Coffee Flavors

This group offers a variety of flavored coffees.

• Hazelnut – whole bean, ground, and K-Cup pods.
• French Vanilla – whole bean and ground coffee.
• Caramel Macchiato – ground coffee.
• Chocolate Mint – ground coffee.
• Dark Chocolate Cherry (Seasonal) – ground coffee.
• Cinnamon Bun (Seasonal) – ground coffee.

In 2013, all the flavored coffees were packaged in identical red bags. This brought back the traditional look of Eight O'Clock Coffee from before 2003.