Folger's Coffee spent years, a small fortune and three attempts to create a freeze-dried coffee that was as fresh-tasting, smelling and looking as possible. In 1975, the company finally achieved success with the launch of Folgers Crystals, which was accompanied by the Tastes As Rich As It Looks campaign. Then, in 1980, Folger's Coffee pulled off a clever trick with The Great Folgers Switch. This campaign involved secretly replacing the regular coffee served in several luxury restaurants with Folgers Crystals.
Folgers Coffee is a brand of instant, single-use ground coffee that is produced in the United States and sold there, as well as in Asia, Canada and Mexico. It is part of the food and beverage division of The J. M. Smucker Company, and is represented by Virginia Christine in its commercials, who always recommends a cup of Folgers Coffee to the characters.
In 1958, after taking the time to perfect their product, Folger's launched their Instant Coffee which was met with tremendous success. To promote their instant coffee in the 1970s and early 1980s, Folger's ran advertisements that took viewers to several high-end restaurants while a voiceover (by Bryan Clark) whispered that they had secretly switched out the coffee served there for Folgers Crystals. The customers were then asked if they could tell the difference or not. After a trial season with Joe Ruttman driving Larry McClure's Chevrolet in 1985, Folger's expanded their sponsorships.
The forerunner of Folger's Coffee Company was founded in 1850 in San Francisco, California as Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. In 1953, Folger's launched their Instant Coffee but it was later discontinued as it did not meet customer expectations. The colors associated with the brand, which are featured in its logo, are traditionally a moderately dark red background with white lettering. Atha sold coffee in the California area but proposed to James Folger II that he open and manage a Folgers Coffee plant in Texas. The five-story brick building at 101 Howard Street in San Francisco, California which served as the former headquarters of Folger's Coffee Company is now a historic landmark.
After undergoing the freeze-drying process all moisture is removed from the coffee beans leaving behind what is known as Folgers Crystals. Under Peter Folger's leadership during the mid-20th century, the brand became one of the leading coffee companies in North America - which is currently the largest coffee market in the world. Peter Folger had arrived from Nantucket Island at age 15 with his two older brothers during the California Gold Rush. A 1985 Folgers TV ad entitled Peter Comes Home was particularly associated with Christmas time.
