St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-06
THE BOGUS COFFEE TRADE.
25,OOO,OOO Year Paid Tor
Roasted Peas. Beans and Rye.


The average bulk of the genuine
coffee imported into the United States is
5000, 900 bags, or 1S0,000,000 pounds per
annum. Experts estimate that fully 20
per cent - sold to consumers
is bogus, which raises the consumption
to 2l6, 000, 900 pounds. Taking 80 cents
per pound as the average retail price,
the people of America pay S65, OOO,O00
every year for this one article of FOOD,
of which S13,O00,000 is paid for roasted
and ground beans, peas, rye, OF manu-
featured article in no way resembling
the Brazilian berry. In addition to THIS
must be added the production ana sale
of what are called coffee substitutes"
So extensive is this business that 1t Is
quite safe to say that consumers pay
Si2.000.000 Tor what they believe to De
cheap coffee. This raises the total ex-
penditure to $77,000,000, and 1T repre-
sents a sale of 276, O0O, 900 pounds, for
the substitute coffee" usually sells at
20 cents per pound. twill thus be seen
that 96,00O.000 pounds of bogus coffee
are sold in the United States every
year, and some estimates place 1t at
120,0O0.000 pounds. Taking the lowest
figures, $4,000 are received for sub
stances which can be probably placed
on the market at six cents pound.
The manufacturers. therefore, receive
81, 000. 900 for their goods, while retailers
gain profit of Sl9,0O0,000
There are two kinds of bogus coffee,
an imitation bean and the ground artl-
Gle. The bean is the most difficult to
produce. and it was only recently that
success in this direction has been at
tanned. The bogus bean must not only
but it should be capable OF taking
proper color when roasted. A very
good specimen is now manufactured Ill
Philadelphia and Trenton, being COM
posed of rye flour, glucose and water.
The soft pas is then nodded and care
fully dried. TO the eye of all expert
the presence of this imitation is easy OF
detection. and it cannot be used to any
great extent among wholesalers.
But when coffee goes to the retailer
aduteration begins. Sometimes the re-
taller is deceived. but nine times out OF
ten he is the one who introduces adul-
iteration. The ground article is very
easily produced, for then it is only nee
essary TO give the material proper
color and infuse an aroma ny Strohg
dec0ctiOnS OF coffee essence. When
mixed with real coffee even the expert
eye and tongue may be deceived, while
to the ordinary consumer it seems to be
the genuine product.
Bogus coffee beans have only slight
resemblance to the natural berry. for.
though they possess proper form. the
cicatriee on the inner face is too smooth.
Then again, the gray color OF the new
bean is not quite up to the mark, but
when these manufactured beans are
roasted with per cent of genuine
coffee they find ready sale. These
bogus beans can be made at cost OF
$50 per LOCO pounds, and, when mixed
with so pounds of pure coffee, the whole
1850 pounds cost $3.50, or 81 cents per
pound. so that profit of nearly 100 per
cent is the result.
There are any number OF ''coffee sub
stitutes." the Hills variety being the
most successful. This company is al
ready manufacturing 10000 pounds per
week, it being sold by the barrel to re-
tailerS in nearly all of the New Eng
land. Middle and Western states. The
profits of this concern are supposed to
be $500 per day. and its operations have
reached such q scale that the StOckhold-
ers were recently offered All enormous
sum for their secret and business. but
it was declined. No one accustomed to
drinking good coffee would imagine
that decoction of this stuff was like
either Mocha or Rio, but when mixed
with four times its bulk of genuine
ground coffee only all expert could de-
tect the imposition.
The manufacturers of these ''coffee
substitutes claim that they are not
violating the laws against the adulter-
alton of food products, because they do
not sell their goods as coffee. but SIM
ply as a substitute. While this may be
true, it does not apply to the retailer
who mixes the bogus stuff with good
coffee and sells the whole as the gen.
uine article. Though manufacturers
may be beyond the penalties OF the
adulteration laws, they should be sup
pressed, for without them coffee adul-
terations by retailers would be impos-
sible. When it is remembered that the
American people are compelled to pay
S25. 100000 for ingredients that can be
manufactured for One-fifth of the sum
received by coffee growers, the neces-
sity for the suppression of the nefarious
trade is apparent. Oleomargarine. can
not be sold as butter, neither should
coffee substitutes" be made to mas
querade under the name of Java, Mocha
and Rio