Our story starts with James Folger who, at the age of 14, traveled to San Francisco. He and his two brothers came from Nantucket in search of gold after a major fire destroyed their family\'s livelihood. While his brothers left for the mines, James stayed behind and got a job with The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. James became a full partner of the The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. But, following the Civil War, the economy collapsed - resulting in the business going bankrupt. He convinced his creditors to pay off the company\'s debts, and then bought out all the other partners, renaming the company J.A. Folger & Co. While many coffee importers previously bought and sold beans based on appearance, the idea of \"cup-testing\" was born in San Francisco. James implemented this technique and began cup-testing shipments of beans himself to develop a taste standard for his coffees. It quickly became apparent that Mountain-Grown? beans had superior qualities when it came to taste and aroma. James A. Folger passed away at the age of 54, and his son, James A. Folger II, took over the growing coffee business. A year prior, he had written a letter to his son noting there was more to running a successful business than making a profit, and that \"money-making was always secondary to a good reputation.\"