Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MCFADDEN COFFEE AND SPICE COMPANY
MCFADDEN COFFEE AND SPICE COMPANY. The McFadden brothers operated a grocery store in the 1880s. Established in 1886, the company at 64-68 Main was developed by the McFadden family in association with J. A. McKinley who took no active role in the operation of the firm. Among the company's products were coffee, cinnamon, pepper, and ground cassia.
Between 1893 and 1894, Joseph F. McFadden joined the business and the company relocated to 72-78 South Main. Tea was one of the major products imported to the Port of Dubuque, and McFadden's had a major part of the business. One "Bond for Examination of Imported Tea" showed 332 packages of Japanese tea weighing 26,390 pounds. The customs duty at ten cents per pound totaled $2,639.
The 1915 Dubuque City Directory listed 227 1st as the address.
Stiff competition and no buyer for the company led to its closing in 1941.
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Source:
Burggraaf, Mike and Southard, Tom. The Antique Bottles of Iowa. Northfield, OH: Ohio Wholesale Copy Service, 1998