BUT ONE FAMILY BUSINESS THAT BEGAN IN SOUTH PARK ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY AGO STILL REMAINS - TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY AND THE RICH SEAPORT AND FOUNDERS CHOICE COFFEE AND THE WONDERFUL TEXJOY SPICES AND SEASONING.

    IN 1921 CHARLES J. FERTITTA, SR.OWNED AND OPERATED THE CRESCENT MARKET ON MAGNOLIA STREET IN DOWNTOWN BEAUMONT, WHERE HE SOLD GREEN COFFEE BEANS WHICH HIS CUSTOMERS BOUGHT, TOOK HOME AND ROASTED IN A SKILLET ON TOP OF THEIR STOVE, OR IN THE OVEN.

    MR. FERTIlTAS COUSIN FROM SAN ANTONIO WAS IN THE PEANUT BUSINESS AND HAD PURCHASED A PEANUT ROASTER, AND SUGGESTED TO HIS COUSIN, CHARLES FERTITTA THAT MAYBE HE COULD ROAST HIS COFFEE IN THE PEANUT ROASTER.THE IDEA GREW AND SOON MR. FERTITTA RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR STORE ROASTED COFFEE, AND WITH A $1,8OO INVESTMENT AND A MODEL-T TRUCK, A FEW POUNDS OF COFFEE AND A SMALL 'SHACK" LIKE BUILDING IN THE BACK OF HIS CRESCENT MARKET WHERE HE ROASTED HIS COFFEE - THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY BECAME A REALITY.

    THE CUSTOMERS FOR HIS SEAPORT COFFEE GREW RAPIDLY, AND IN 1926 MR. FERTITTA REALIZED THE NEED FOR PARTNERS AND A LARGER BUILDING AND UP-DATED EQUIPMENT - THUS THE PARTNERSHIP WITH ROSE C. MACEO AND JOSEPH S. SERIO WAS FORMED.

    THEY MOVED TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY TO A LARGER, MORE MODERNIZED FACILITY LOCATED AT 3297 PORT ARTHUR ROAD (NOW MLK), THAT WAS BETTER EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE GROWING BUSINESS. WITH THE NEW PARTNERS, ROSE MACEO HANDLED THE ROASTING OF THE COFFEE WHILE CHARLES FERTITTA AND JOSEPH SERIO TRAVELED THE ROADS OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS, MR. FERTITTA HANDLING THE BEAUMONT AREA AND MR. SERIO PORT ARTHUR.

    IN 1931 A SALESMAN FROM NEW ORLEANS CALLED ON THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY PARTNERS, SHOWING THEM A SKETCH OF A SIGN FOR THEIR COMPANY - A 20 FOOT TALL COFFEE POT, WITH BLAZING NEON LIGHTS. THE PARTNERS AGREED TO HAVE THIS SIGN ERECTED, AND OVER THE YEARS IT BECAME A LANDMARK ALONG THE PORT ARTHUR ROAD AND A CONVERSATION PIECE. WHEN THE COMPANY FIRST MOVED TO THE BUILDING ON THE PORT ARTHUR ROAD, IT WAS A DIRT, TWO LANE ROAD, AND MANY CUSTOMERS LOOKING FOR THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY WERE TOLD "JUST GO DOWN THE ROAD UNTIL YOU SEE  A BIG COFEEE POT" THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY PARTNERS PURCHASED THE SIGN FOR $700.00.

    IN OCTOBER, 1979 THE BELOVED COFFEEPOT SIGN, AFTER A HALF CENTURY OF BEING A LANDMARK IN SOUTH PARK, WAS REMOVED DUE TO DETERIORATION, AND WAS NEVER REPLACED.

    THE BUSINESS GREW, AND IN THE LATE 1940'S, THE BUSINESS PARTNERS DECIDED THEY NEEDED SOME OTHER PRODUCT AS WELL AS THEIR COFFEE TO OFFER TO THE STORES - THUS THE TEX JOY SPICES AND SEASONINGS BECAME A PARTOF THE PRODUCTION. AT FIRST THEY PURCHASED BLACK PEPPER AND SWEET SPICES IN BULK, REPACKAGING AND LABELING THEM WHICH THEY SOLD IN THE STORES.

    BUT AS TIME WENT BY, IN THE LATE 1950'S, THE ITALIAN FAMILY - UNCLES, AUNTS, COUSINS, BROTHERS - ALL HAD SPECIAL FAMILY SPICE MIXES WHICH THEY HANDED TO THE COFFEE COMPANY. AND THE SPICES WERE THEN MIXED BY THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY UNDER THE TEX JOY LABEL. THERE ARE MANY SPICES, BUT THE TEX JOY STEAK SEASONING AND THE SPECIAL BBQ BLEND ARE TWO OF THE MOST POPULAR.

    SOON THE FLAVOR OF THE BLEND OF SPICES BECAME KNOWN AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD, AND TODAY THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY SHIPS THEIR FAMOUS SPICES WHOLESALE TO A VERY LOYAL CLIENTELE. AND RECENTLY THE PACKAGING OF THE SPICE PRODUCTS BECAME FULLY AUTOMATED WITH THE ADDITION OF NEW PACKAGING AND SEALING MACHINES, WHICH ALLOWS OR A FRESHNESS / TAMPER PROOF SEAL.

    IN 1957 THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY ARRANGED FOR REGULAR IMPORTS OF COFFEE DIRECT FROM BRAZIL TO BEAUMONT, WITH THE FIRST SHIPMENT OF COFFEE ARRIVING IN BEAUMONT VIA THESS DEL RIO ON DECEMBER 12,1957.

     IN 1968 THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY BECAME THE FIRST COFFEE COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES TO BEGIN PACKAGING COFFEE IN VACUUM-PACKED FOIL BAGS, WHICH IS NOW THE INDUSTRY STANDARD IN 1995 THEY REDESIGNED THEIR PACKAGING WITH NEW COFFEE VACUUM EQUIPMENT.

    SEAPORT AND FOUNDER'S CHOICE COFFEE ARE MADE WITH 100% PURE COFFEE, IMPORTED FROM COFFEE GROWING COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. SEAPORT IS AVAILABLE IN 4 DIFFERENT ROASTS: DARKROAST, BETWEEN DARK AND MEDIUM ROAST, MEDIUM ROAST AND DECAFFEINATED - WITH FOUNDER'S CHOICE OFFERING ONLY A SINGLE ROAST THAT IS COMPARABLE TO THE RECOGNIZED BRANDS. PRODUCTION BEGINS SOON AFTER THE COFFEE BEANS ARRIVE.

    THEY ARE SIFTED, SEPARATED AND THOROUGHLY CLEANED. THEY ARE THEN ROASTED TO
PERFECTION, USING DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES AND LENGTHS OF EXPOSURE TO PRODUCE THE
VARIOUS ROASTS. THE BEANS ARE THEN COOLED, GROUND AND VACUUM PACKED FOR THE FRESHEST TASTE. MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN THIS AREA AND ENJOYED THE SEAPORT COFFEE FLAVOR, AFTER MOVING AWAY FIND THEY CANNOT FIND THE SAME AROMA OF THE SEAPORT COFFEE, AND HAVE THE COFFEE SHIPPED TO THEM.

    THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY SALES PERSONNEL AND TRUCKS COVER THE SOUTHEAST PART OF TEXAS AND THE SOUTHWEST AREA OF LOUISIANA, WITH A WAREHOUSE IN LAKE CHARLES, AND THEY CURRENTLY SHIP TO ALL 50 STATES. THEY EMPLOY 45 PEOPLE, WITH 5 TRUCKS IN TEXAS AND 4 IN LOUISIANA - TRAVELING AS FAR AS BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA AND HOUSTON, TEXAS. THE ORIGINAL FRAME BUILDING HAS BEEN ADDED TO 6-7 TIMES - THE BACK, THE SIDE, UPSTAIRS, AND REMODELED MANY TIMES.

    AT ONE TIME A SEAPORT PREMIUM STORE WAS LOCATED WITHIN THE BUILDING, BUT IT NO LONGER EXISTS. COUPONS ON THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY PRODUCTS ENABLED YOU TO OBTAIN  PREMIUM ITEMS.

    TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY IS STILL RUN BY THE SONS AND GRANDSONS OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS PEP FERTITTA, JAKE TORTORICE, CARLO BUSCEME, FRANK MESSINA, AND CHARLES MACEO. IN 1991 THEY WERE APPROACHED TO SELL THE COFFEE COMPANY, BUT AFTER MUCH THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION KNEW THEY COULD NOT GIVE UP THE DREAM THAT THEIR FATHERS AND GRANDFATHERS HAD LABORED TO OBTAIN.

WHILE THE APPEARANCE OF THE TEXAS COFFEE COMPANY DELIVERY TRUCKS HAS CHANGED, AND THE BUILDING AND MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT UPDATED, THERE STILL REMAINS A CERTAIN NOSTALGIA IN THE OLD HARDWOOD FLOORS AND EXPOSED STEEL BEAM SUPPORTS OF THE BUILDING,NOT TO MENTION THE EXOTIC AROMA OF FRESH ROASTED COFFEE BEANS.

If You Enjoy Reading The Editorials Please Let Mrs.Hebert Know : mrscanon@aol.com
 

Return To Home Page Return To Past Editorial Page

---

This Page Hosted By: Mrs.Jane Hebert  GetYour Own Free Homepage