I’ve been talking about vintage MJB Coffee ads in San Francisco before, and while I was researching that blog post back then I remember seeing references to a second “Why” ad in San Francisco, but I could never find an address for it.
A few weeks ago that problem solved itself when I was walking along Columbus Avenue and just happened to look up at the houses across the street from the City Lights bookstore.
The two ads happen to be only about six blocks from each other – the first ad is on Clay just above Stockton and this one is on Columbus and Kerouac Alley.
The two ads look similar, but this one on Columbus seems to be a little bit less elaborate in the painting style. It is known that these ads were painted around 1906 and it must have been after the earthquake, since both houses are in an area were barely a wall survived the earthquake and firestorm of 1906.
I’m still looking for a well-rounded explanation for the message of this ad campaign. MJB Coffee – WHY? sounds very much like it is only one half of a more complex ad message. Was this supported by newspaper ads or billboards? Was there a little story around this ad on the tin cans the coffee came in? Inquiring minds would like to know…
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I found this when i was looking for some info on a can that my dad left me when he died. it has WHY? on the side. It has M J Brandenstein on the side too.It’s a 5 pound tin with lid. I just wanted to know when it was made.
My father worked for Western Can Company in San Francisco from the 1940′s to early 70′s I think. Would like to know when this tin was made.
Linda
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Linda –
Can’t answer your question, but I worked briefly for MJB in San Francisco the early 1970s. While there, I learned that Western Can was a “secret” subsidiary of MJB.
Why?
Well, the majority of Western Can’s business was making and printing coffee cans, which they sold not only to MJB, but also to Hills Brothers, Folger’s, Mannings, Safeway, S&W, and a fair number of others. MJB was afraid that their coffee roasting, grinding, and packing competitors would quit buying cans from Western Can if they knew that MJB owned Wescan.
My own souvenir from then is a 20 pound MJB can — almost, if not exactly, the same size and shape as a 5 gallon kerosene can — that was scratched before it was filled. From Western Can, of course.
John