inventory · entities · updated 2026-07-26
Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company (H&H Coffee)
entity active p3
San Antonio coffee roaster, one of the oldest in the South, run by the Menger family (also owners of the Menger Hotel). Placed one of the largest single glass orders in Texas history with Three Rivers Glass in 1932: a quarter-million 'Crystalvac' vacuum-packed jars.
Next action: None.
organizationthree-rivers-glasscustomersan-antonio
Why Track This
The best-documented single customer relationship in the collection, with a named executive (Gus J. Menger), a specific product (Crystalvac), and surviving collector-catalogued jars.
Current State
Ordered a quarter-million Crystalvac jars in 1932, expanding its own workforce by 12 to handle the new packing line. H&H Coffee jars (clear and amber glass) are separately catalogued in this collection’s bottle/jar artifact list, with amber examples especially prized by collectors.
Next Action
None.
Notes
Cross-reference: gus-j-menger entity record; H&H Coffee jar artifact records under inventory/items/.
H&H did not source Crystalvac jars from Three Rivers alone. Surviving jars in H&H’s own collection carry the Owens-Illinois “Diamond-Oval-I” mark (plant code 7 = Alton, Illinois) date-coded 1936–1939, alongside the Three Rivers “star” jars — evidence H&H dual-sourced from Three Rivers and Owens-Illinois concurrently through the 1930s rather than switching cleanly after Three Rivers’ 1937 shutdown. One 3-lb jar is read as a 1932 O-I date code (contested). Full analysis: owens-illinois-hoffmann-hayman-crystalvac (wiki concept article).