Wilkins Coffee Co. Globe 1923 Sticker

After graduating from college in Massachusetts, John H. Wilkins Jr. returned home to work with his father, John J. Wilkins Sr., in his wholesale coffee and grocery firm in Washington, D.C. Shortly thereafter in 1923, a fire destroyed most of the firm’s warehouses and it was at this point that John Jr. persuaded his father to terminate his grocery business and focus on making their own coffee. Wilkins Coffee was born and would soon become an institution that would dominate the greater Washington metropolitan area for decades. The company would eventually give way to national brands some time in the ’90s, and is now largely remembered for their early TV commercials featuring a puppet mascot.