MJB
MJB is an American coffee brand with roots in San Francisco-area roasting and importing, now owned by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
MJB is an American coffee brand whose history is closely associated with San Francisco and the development of coffee importing, roasting, packaging, and advertising in the western United States. Its origins trace to 1881, when Max J. Brandenstein began roasting coffee in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brandenstein came from a family involved in tobacco wholesaling, but built his own presence in coffee and related grocery commodities. In 1899, he established a business dealing in tea, spices, and coffee imports under his name, with assistance from his brothers Mannie, Charlie, and Eddie. The enterprise subsequently became known as the MJB Co., a shorter identity that also helped avoid family rivalry over whose name the business should carry. The brand developed during a period when San Francisco was becoming an important center for coffee importing and roasting. MJB's early identity was shaped not only by its product but also by highly visible regional marketing. In 1900, the company introduced the advertising slogan "MJB Coffee Why?" Signs using the question appeared throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and helped make the brand recognizable in its home market. MJB also participated in the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where it presented a temporary, modernist coffee house topped by a giant cup and saucer and an illuminated "WHY" sign. Packaging innovation was another part of the brand's historical development. After vacuum canning technology began to be applied to food and coffee in the early twentieth century, MJB began packing coffee in vacuum cans in 1914. This positioned the company within the industry's shift toward sealed packaging intended to preserve coffee quality and extend shelf life. The brand later used entertainment and television advertising to maintain consumer awareness. In the 1940s, MJB received endorsements from performers associated with the Cherokee Strip films. During the 1970s, a television campaign using the line "tastes good when it should" featured actress Teri Garr. The campaign became part of Garr's early public profile and was later associated with her discovery by filmmaker Steven Spielberg. MJB remained linked to the Brandenstein family for much of its early history. Family recollections and business history were later documented by Ruth Bransten McDougall, a granddaughter of Max Brandenstein, in memoirs including Under Mannie's Hat and Coffee, Martinis and San Francisco. These accounts provide a personal perspective on the family's business, branding, and experiences during periods of anti-German sentiment in the United States. Ownership changed several times in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Nestle acquired MJB in 1985. The brand's San Francisco headquarters closed in 1997. In 1999, Sara Lee Corporation purchased MJB together with Hills Brothers and Chase & Sanborn from Nestle. In 2005, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquired MJB, Hills Brothers, Chase & Sanborn, and Chock full o'Nuts from Sara Lee for a reported $82.5 million. MJB is now associated with Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA and remains an active American coffee brand. Publicly available reference material provides limited detail about its current product portfolio, distribution footprint, and corporate leadership, so those areas are left narrowly described here rather than inferred.
History
MJB emerged from the San Francisco Bay Area's late-nineteenth-century coffee trade. Following the California Gold Rush, San Francisco developed into a major western center for coffee importing and roasting, alongside businesses that later became widely recognized, including Folgers and Hills Brothers. In 1881, Max J. Brandenstein began roasting coffee in the area. He was the son of tobacco wholesaler Joseph Brandenstein, but established an independent commercial path in coffee. Brandenstein expanded the enterprise in 1899 by founding a tea, spice, and coffee import business under his own name. His brothers Mannie, Charlie, and Eddie assisted with the company. The firm's name was eventually shortened to MJB Co. The change reduced tension among family members over the use of individual names and created a more compact commercial identity. Family history later recorded by Ruth Bransten McDougall also describes how Mannie Brandenstein adopted the surname Bransten during the First World War period, partly in response to anti-German sentiment and partly at the request of his wife's family. MJB's early brand-building was unusually visible for a regional coffee company. In 1900, it introduced the slogan "MJB Coffee Why?" The wording was placed on signs across the San Francisco Bay Area, turning a simple question into a recurring visual signature. The company reinforced this identity at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, where it created a temporary coffee house described as ultramodern. A giant cup and saucer stood on the roof, accompanied by a large illuminated "WHY" sign. The company also adopted changes in coffee packaging. Vacuum canning had been patented for food in the late nineteenth century and was subsequently adapted for coffee. Hills Brothers was an early user of vacuum packing under the relevant patents, and MJB began packing coffee in vacuum cans in 1914. The development reflected a broader industry movement toward sealed containers and more consistent preservation of roasted coffee. Advertising remained central to MJB's consumer presence. During the 1940s, the company used endorsements from entertainment personalities associated with the Cherokee Strip films. In the 1970s, its television advertising featured actress Teri Garr and used the line "tastes good when it should." The campaign is notable in popular accounts of Garr's career because its success helped bring her to the attention of director Steven Spielberg, who later cast her in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The family's experience of the company has been preserved in memoir literature. Ruth Bransten McDougall, a granddaughter of Max Brandenstein and daughter of Mannie Brandenstein, wrote about the family and its business in Under Mannie's Hat and in Coffee, Martinis and San Francisco. These works offer context for the brand's family ownership, marketing history, and San Francisco identity, although detailed current corporate information is more limited. MJB changed hands during a period of consolidation in the packaged-coffee sector. Nestle acquired the brand in 1985. The San Francisco headquarters closed in 1997. Two years later, Sara Lee Corporation acquired MJB, along with Hills Brothers and Chase & Sanborn, from Nestle. In 2005, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group bought those brands, together with Chock full o'Nuts, from Sara Lee for a reported $82.5 million. MJB is currently identified with Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA. Its historical record establishes it as a continuing American packaged-coffee brand, while publicly available sources do not provide enough detail to document a complete modern product range, executive roster, or market-by-market distribution profile.
- 2005
Massimo Zanetti acquisition
[1]Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquired MJB and several other coffee brands from Sara Lee.
- 1999
Sara Lee acquisition
[1]Sara Lee Corporation acquired MJB, Hills Brothers, and Chase & Sanborn from Nestle.
- 1997
San Francisco headquarters closes
[1]MJB's San Francisco headquarters was closed.
- 1985
Acquired by Nestle
[1]Nestle acquired the MJB brand.
- 1915
Panama-Pacific International Exposition installation
[1]MJB created a temporary coffee house at the San Francisco exposition featuring a giant cup and saucer and an illuminated WHY sign.
- 1914
Vacuum-can coffee packing begins
[1]MJB began packing coffee in vacuum cans as the industry adopted sealed packaging for roasted coffee.
- 1900
MJB Coffee Why? campaign introduced
[1]The company introduced the slogan "MJB Coffee Why?", which became a prominent regional advertising sign.
- 1899
Tea, spice, and coffee import business established
[1]Brandenstein established an import business dealing in tea, spices, and coffee, with assistance from his brothers.
- 1881
Max J. Brandenstein begins coffee roasting
[1]Max J. Brandenstein began roasting coffee in the San Francisco Bay Area, establishing the roots of the business that became associated with MJB.
Products and positioning
A heritage American coffee brand rooted in San Francisco-area roasting, regional recognition, traditional packaged coffee, and a long-running advertising legacy.
Packaged coffee
MJB Coffee
The core MJB offering is packaged roasted coffee sold under the MJB name. The brand's historical identity was built around regional coffee roasting, recognizable advertising, and household preparation. Available reference material does not establish a complete current list of roasts, formats, or retail variants.
Vacuum-packed coffee · 1914
MJB Vacuum-Packed Coffee
MJB began packing coffee in vacuum cans in 1914, participating in the industry's shift toward sealed packaging designed to protect roasted coffee. This is a historically important packaging line rather than a confirmed current product specification.
Marketing campaigns
- 1970Tastes good when it should
United States
MJB used a television campaign centered on the line "tastes good when it should," featuring actress Teri Garr.
Outcome. The campaign became notable in accounts of Garr's early career and helped bring her to the attention of Steven Spielberg.
- 1915Panama-Pacific International Exposition coffee house
San Francisco
For the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, MJB presented a temporary coffee house with a giant cup and saucer on the roof and an illuminated WHY sign.
Outcome. The installation extended the brand's slogan into a large-scale public experience and reinforced its San Francisco association.
- 1900MJB Coffee Why?
San Francisco Bay Area
MJB introduced a question-based slogan that was displayed on signs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and became one of the brand's defining historical advertising devices.
Outcome. The slogan became strongly associated with MJB's regional identity and was later echoed in the brand's 1915 exposition presentation.
Brand decisions
2005
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquisitionM&ABackground
Sara Lee sold several established coffee brands as part of a portfolio transaction.
Action taken
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group purchased MJB, Hills Brothers, Chase & Sanborn, and Chock full o'Nuts from Sara Lee for a reported $82.5 million.
Aftermath
MJB became associated with Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA and remains part of the group's American coffee-brand operations.
Reported acquisition price for four coffee brands. $82.5 million (2005)
1999
Sara Lee purchase of MJB coffee brandsM&ABackground
Nestle divested a group of established coffee brands.
Action taken
Sara Lee Corporation acquired MJB, Hills Brothers, and Chase & Sanborn.
Aftermath
MJB became part of Sara Lee's coffee-brand portfolio until its subsequent sale in 2005.
1985
Nestle acquisitionM&ABackground
MJB entered a larger corporate ownership structure after decades of development as a San Francisco-rooted coffee business.
Action taken
Nestle acquired MJB.
Aftermath
The acquisition preceded the later transfer of MJB to Sara Lee and ultimately to Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group.
1914
Adoption of vacuum-can packagingProduct launchBackground
The coffee industry was increasingly applying vacuum-canning technology to roasted coffee.
Action taken
MJB began packing coffee in vacuum cans.
Aftermath
The move placed MJB among coffee companies adopting sealed packaging intended to preserve product quality.
Recent events
- 2005
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group acquires MJB coffee portfolio[1]
M&A
Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group purchased MJB, Hills Brothers, Chase & Sanborn, and Chock full o'Nuts from Sara Lee for a reported $82.5 million.
- 1999
Sara Lee acquires MJB, Hills Brothers, and Chase & Sanborn[1]
M&A
Sara Lee Corporation purchased MJB and two other coffee brands from Nestle.
- 1997
MJB closes its San Francisco headquarters[1]
Other
The brand's San Francisco headquarters was closed, marking a further change in its relationship with the city where its coffee business originated.
- 1985
Nestle acquires MJB[1]
M&A
Nestle acquired MJB as part of the brand's transition from its long-standing family and regional ownership history into a larger international food company.
Sources2 sources
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