Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.est. 1899 · San Antonio, Texas

Gustav P. Menger

Long-serving president of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company (1920 through May 1960) and Board Chairman thereafter. Brother of Minnie Menger Schlosser; brother-in-law of William R. Hoffmann (the founder). Father of Albert G. Menger, who succeeded him as president in 1960.

Vitals

The project event timeline carries his birth and death years as separate entries. Vital dates currently come from Find a Grave / RootsWeb genealogy; upgrade to Texas vital records or contemporary obituaries when available.

The Draves 19 June 2026 scans (Tim Draves “Mary Menger Descendants” worksheet, rev. 7 July 2016) confirm his death year (1974) and both marriages — m1 Rosalie [Rose Lee] Crowther, m2 Catherine Adell Paxson — but give his birth year as 1890, against the 20 September 1889 carried here from Find a Grave. The one-year discrepancy is unresolved; the 1889 date is retained pending a primary vital record.

Naming for writers

Role in Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.

1912 — founding officer. One of the three original incorporators of the chartered Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company on 5 February 1912 (alongside W. E. Hayman and his sister Minnie Menger Hoffmann). Held the role of Secretary in the initial officer list. The December 1932 “Tiny Roaster” San Antonio Light article confirms the family connection directly: “Following the death in 1912 of the founder, his brother-in-law, Gus P. Menger became associated with the firm.”

January 1920 — president. When W. E. Hayman sold his interests, G. P. Menger and his brother R. W. Menger purchased the shares. G. P. Menger became president and held that role continuously through at least October 1934. The 1934 anniversary article identifies him as “G. P. Menger, president of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, now celebrating 30 years in business in San Antonio.”

1923 profile. The August 1923 San Antonio Light spread captioned him “A president that sells.” Known for keeping in close personal contact with grocers across the South Texas wholesale territory. Press copy positioned him as both manager and ambassador for the H and H brand.

1938 — cup-testing documented. The San Antonio Express-News of 10 October 1938 (“Knows His Java and His Mocha Too”) shows G. P. Menger at the cup-testing bench alongside Dave Crowe, supervisor of the cafe department. The caption notes Menger has been “cup testing coffees for 26 years” — placing the start of his cup-testing practice at 1912, the year of H&H’s founding and his first documented association with the firm. The same article pictures samples of H & H, Sam Houston, and Texas Girl blends — the 1938 three-brand retail core.

May 1960 — board chairman. At the 4 May 1960 stockholders/directors meeting, G. P. Menger stepped from the presidency to a newly-created Board Chairman role. His son Albert G. Menger was elected president. The San Antonio Express-News of 5 May 1960 quotes him: “I am indeed proud that our directors have given the responsibility for leadership as president of this long-established San Antonio industry to my son, Albert.”

1972 sale. In August 1972, G. P. Menger sold the Hoffmann-Hayman Warehouse Co. property at 601 Delaware to Kenneth L. Wagner — closing out the Menger family’s seventy-plus-year association with the Delaware Street address. (Continental Coffee of Chicago had absorbed the brand operations in 1962; this 1972 transaction closed the real-estate chapter ten years later.)

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