Maxwell House
An American mass-market coffee brand associated with the long-running slogan "Good to the last drop."
Last updated August 21, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Maxwell House is a long-established American coffee brand whose origins date to 1892, when Nashville wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek developed a coffee blend that became popular at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The hotel was the blend's first major commercial customer and gave the product the name under which it would become nationally recognized. Cheek subsequently entered the coffee business with Maxwell Colbourne through the Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company, later known as the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company. The brand expanded from a regional hotel association into a nationally distributed packaged-coffee business during the early twentieth century. Its identity was built around dependable flavor, broad availability, and accessible pricing rather than specialty-coffee positioning. In 1915, the company began using the advertising phrase "Good to the last drop," which became one of the most recognizable slogans in American food marketing. Later advertising associated the phrase with former president Theodore Roosevelt and a purported 1907 visit to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. That attribution was never firmly established, and Maxwell House later acknowledged that the slogan's documented advertising origin was connected to Clifford Spiller rather than a verified Roosevelt quotation. General Foods acquired the Maxwell House business in 1925. Under General Foods, the brand developed a large advertising presence in print, radio, and television. It sponsored programs including Maxwell House Coffee Time, The Goldbergs, and Mama, helping make the name familiar in American households. Its advertising also reached specific communities: the Maxwell House Haggadah, first published in 1932 as part of a campaign aimed at Jewish consumers, became widely used in American Jewish homes and at public Passover seders. The portfolio broadened after the Second World War. Maxwell House instant coffee was test-marketed in 1945 and distributed nationally from 1946. The company later introduced products tailored to changing preparation methods, including Max-Pax filter rings for percolators, ElectraPerk coffee for electric percolators, and A.D.C. coffee for automatic drip machines. It also added higher-yield, decaffeinated, reduced-caffeine, flavored, whole-bean, varietal, cappuccino, and other ground and instant formats. Product names and preparation-specific formulas have changed over time as household coffee equipment and consumer preferences evolved. Maxwell House was for many years the leading coffee brand in the United States, retaining that position for much of the twentieth century before facing stronger competition from other mainstream and premium brands. Corporate ownership changed again when Kraft Foods acquired General Foods assets and later became Kraft Foods Inc. Following Kraft Foods' 2012 separation, brand rights were divided geographically. Kraft Heinz operates the brand in North America, while JDE Peet's controls Maxwell House business in markets outside North America, including parts of Europe. The brand remains active as a mainstream coffee label. Its North American range includes ground and instant coffee, measured formats, whole beans, flavored varieties, and decaffeinated products. Maxwell House is still associated with traditional home coffee preparation and value-oriented everyday consumption, while its international availability and exact product range vary by market.
History
Maxwell House began with Joel Owsley Cheek's work as a Nashville coffee wholesaler. After moving to Nashville in 1884, Cheek met British coffee broker Roger Nolley Smith, and the two worked on blending and evaluating coffees. In 1892, Cheek supplied a quantity of his blend to the Maxwell House Hotel. After the hotel temporarily returned to its usual coffee, complaints from patrons led it to adopt Cheek's blend. The hotel subsequently permitted Cheek to use its name, giving the product a strong commercial identity from its first major sale. Cheek and Maxwell Colbourne formed the Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company, with coffee at the center of its business. The company later became the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company, and Maxwell House developed from a regional product into a nationally recognized packaged-coffee brand. Its early growth was supported by extensive advertising and by the broader rise of branded food products in American retail. In the 1920s, Maxwell House sharply increased its advertising expenditure and was identified in contemporary consumer research as one of the country's best-known coffee brands. The slogan "Good to the last drop" entered Maxwell House advertising in 1915. During the 1930s, advertisements promoted a story that Theodore Roosevelt had used the phrase after drinking coffee at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Historical evidence does not conclusively support that account; contemporary reporting recorded different words, and the Roosevelt connection was later treated by the company as an advertising legend rather than a verified quotation. The slogan itself remained central to the brand and became a registered trademark associated with its packaging and logo. General Foods acquired the Maxwell House business in 1925. Under General Foods, the brand expanded its media presence through radio and television sponsorships. Maxwell House Coffee Time ran from 1937 to 1949 and featured prominent performers and characters from American comedy and variety entertainment. The brand also sponsored The Goldbergs and the television program Mama, where family scenes around a kitchen table helped connect the product with domestic routines. Maxwell House later used conventional television spots, print advertising, and celebrity or character-based campaigns. The brand diversified its products during and after the Second World War. General Foods supplied instant coffee to the United States armed forces, and Maxwell House Instant Coffee entered eastern test markets in 1945 before receiving national distribution in 1946. The company introduced formats designed for successive brewing technologies, including Max-Pax filter rings for percolators, ElectraPerk coffee for electric percolators, and A.D.C. coffee for automatic drip machines. As drip brewers displaced percolators, the company adapted the filter-ring concept into Maxwell House Filter Packs and eventually moved away from many preparation-specific formulations. Further extensions included Master Blend, specialty-style roast and origin claims such as Rich French Roast and Colombian Supreme, decaffeinated coffee, reduced-caffeine Maxwell House Lite, and cappuccino products. Decaffeinated Maxwell House ground coffee was introduced in the early 1980s, followed by instant decaffeinated coffee and reduced-caffeine variants. The brand also incorporated products connected with the broader General Foods coffee portfolio, including Yuban, although the ownership and treatment of individual brands changed over time. Manufacturing and corporate control also evolved. Maxwell House operated facilities in Hoboken, New Jersey, Houston, Texas, San Leandro, California, and Jacksonville, Florida. The Hoboken and San Leandro facilities eventually closed, while the Jacksonville plant continued to serve North American production according to the referenced account. Kraft Foods inherited the brand through its General Foods-related businesses. After Kraft Foods split in 2012, Maxwell House rights were divided geographically: Kraft Heinz retained North American rights, while JDE Peet's received rights in other markets through the restructuring and combination of international coffee businesses. Today Maxwell House remains an active mass-market coffee brand. Its products are sold in multiple formats, but formulation, packaging, and availability differ between North America and other territories. The brand's enduring assets are its name, hotel origin story, long advertising history, and the "Good to the last drop" slogan.
- 2025
Temporary Maxwell Apartment promotion
[1]Kraft Heinz announced a temporary promotional identity for National Coffee Day, with a limited package sold through Amazon.
- 2012
Brand rights are divided after Kraft Foods restructuring
[1]Following the split of Kraft Foods, Kraft Heinz retained North American Maxwell House rights while JDE Peet's obtained rights in other markets.
- 1992
Maxwell House Lite and cappuccino extensions expand the portfolio
[1]The company added reduced-caffeine Maxwell House Lite nationally and introduced cappuccino-related products during the early 1990s.
- 1989
New roast and origin variants appear
[1]Rich French Roast, Colombian Supreme, and 1892 formulations were introduced amid intensifying competition in packaged coffee.
- 1983
Maxwell House decaffeinated coffee launches
[1]Ground Maxwell House Decaffeinated entered East Coast markets before broader distribution.
- 1981
Master Blend launches
[1]General Foods introduced Maxwell House Master Blend as a higher-yield ground coffee.
- 1976
A.D.C. coffee targets automatic drip brewing
[1]Maxwell House added A.D.C. coffee for automatic drip coffee makers, reflecting a shift in household brewing technology.
- 1972
Max-Pax filter rings are introduced
[1]The company introduced premeasured ground-coffee filter rings for the still-popular percolator market.
- 1966
ElectraPerk is introduced
[1]Maxwell House launched ElectraPerk coffee formulated for electric percolators.
- 1945
Instant coffee enters test markets
[1]Maxwell House Instant Coffee was tested in the eastern United States before national distribution the following year.
Products and positioning
Mainstream, widely available coffee emphasizing familiar flavor, dependable everyday use, heritage, and accessible pricing.
Coffee · 1892
Ground coffee
Ground coffee has historically been Maxwell House's core format. The range has included traditional blends, roast variants, origin-labeled products, flavored coffees, higher-yield formulations, filter packs, and decaffeinated versions. Exact names and recipes vary across markets.
Coffee · 1945
Instant coffee
Maxwell House Instant Coffee was developed in connection with wartime instant-coffee supply and reached national retail distribution in 1946. The format provides soluble coffee for rapid preparation and has also been offered in decaffeinated variants.
Ground coffee · 1981
Master Blend
Introduced in 1981, Master Blend was positioned as a higher-yield ground coffee. It represented the brand's effort to offer a practical household product while competing across an increasingly segmented packaged-coffee market.
Roast coffee · 1989
Rich French Roast
Rich French Roast was one of several roast-oriented extensions introduced in 1989. It gave the mainstream Maxwell House range a darker-roast option during a period when consumers were showing greater interest in differentiated roast profiles.
Origin coffee · 1989
Colombian Supreme
Colombian Supreme was introduced in 1989 and described as using 100 percent Colombian coffee. The product extended Maxwell House into origin-specific positioning while retaining the brand's mass-market distribution model.
Coffee · 1983
Decaffeinated coffee
Maxwell House entered the labeled decaffeinated segment with ground coffee in 1983, followed by an instant decaffeinated product in 1985. The line complemented General Foods' earlier decaffeinated brands and responded to demand for lower-caffeine alternatives.
Coffee beverage · 1992
Cappuccino products
The brand added cappuccino-related products in the early 1990s, including Cappio Iced Cappuccino and Maxwell House Cappuccino. These products broadened the label beyond conventional brewed and instant coffee.
Controversies
1930
Disputed Theodore Roosevelt slogan attribution
Maxwell House advertising claimed that Theodore Roosevelt coined "Good to the last drop" during a 1907 visit to the Hermitage. Contemporary evidence does not establish that he used the phrase, and the company later distanced itself from the literal historical claim.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Maxwell Apartment
United States
For National Coffee Day, Kraft Heinz temporarily presented Maxwell House as Maxwell Apartment and offered a twelve-month-style coffee-stock-up package through Amazon.
Outcome. The promotion used temporary packaging and an online-only offer to generate seasonal attention.
- 2009Roosevelt last-drop commercial
United States
Maxwell House revisited the famous Roosevelt anecdote in a commercial featuring actor Joe Wiegand portraying Theodore Roosevelt and recounting the slogan's origin story.
Outcome. The campaign renewed attention to the brand's historic advertising legend.
- 1970Cora's general store
United States
A television campaign featured Margaret Hamilton as Cora, a general-store owner who declared that Maxwell House was the only coffee brand she sold.
Outcome. The character-based advertising reinforced the product's traditional, dependable positioning.
- 1949Mama television sponsorship
United States
Maxwell House sponsored the CBS television series Mama. Coffee-centered family scenes and sponsor integrations linked the brand with domestic hospitality and shared meals.
Outcome. The program became a notable example of early television sponsorship and integrated product presentation.
- 1937Maxwell House Coffee Time
United States
The brand sponsored a nationally broadcast radio comedy and variety program featuring performers and recurring characters including Baby Snooks, George Burns, and Gracie Allen.
Outcome. The sponsorship strengthened Maxwell House's association with mass entertainment and household routines.
- 1932Maxwell House Haggadah
United States
Maxwell House distributed a Passover Haggadah to reach Jewish consumers. Advertising supported the product's acceptability for Passover, and the publication became a familiar household and communal religious text.
Outcome. The campaign created an unusually durable connection between a coffee brand and Passover observance.
- 1915Good to the last drop
United States
A slogan campaign built around the claim that Maxwell House coffee was enjoyable through the final sip. The phrase became a durable part of the brand's packaging, logo, and advertising identity.
Outcome. The slogan became Maxwell House's defining long-term brand asset.
Brand decisions
2012
Geographic division of brand rightsStrategyBackground
Kraft Foods separated into two companies, requiring its international coffee and food-brand rights to be reorganized.
Action taken
Kraft Heinz retained Maxwell House rights in North America, while JDE Peet's obtained rights in other markets.
Aftermath
Manufacturing, marketing, and product availability became more geographically differentiated under separate corporate owners.
1983
Launch of Maxwell House decaffeinated coffeeProduct launchBackground
General Foods had previously marketed decaffeinated products under other brand names.
Action taken
The company introduced Maxwell House-labeled ground decaffeinated coffee, initially in East Coast markets.
Aftermath
The Maxwell House name entered a growing lower-caffeine and decaffeinated segment, followed by an instant version in 1985.
1945
National development of instant coffeeProduct launchBackground
General Foods had wartime experience supplying instant coffee to the United States armed forces.
Action taken
Maxwell House Instant Coffee was tested in eastern markets and then distributed nationally.
Aftermath
Instant coffee became an important extension of the Maxwell House portfolio.
1925
General Foods acquisitionM&ABackground
Maxwell House had developed from the Cheek-Neal coffee business into a nationally recognized packaged-coffee brand.
Action taken
General Foods acquired the business and incorporated Maxwell House into its branded food portfolio.
Aftermath
The acquisition provided a larger corporate platform for national advertising, product diversification, and manufacturing expansion.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/maxwell-house · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled