The idea of selling coffee ground and roasted by the merchant so that the housewife only had to take it home and brew it was new in 1853 according to the Forbes Coffee history Among Ourselves. I believe that it was a brand new idea in St. Louis in 1853, but am not sure about elsewhere in the country. Anybody with information on this is urged to share it. Please e-mail me at Charles@forbescoffee.org. See Contribute to this Site for more information.
Charles ForbesWebmaster
October, 2001