I have often wondered why would a coffee company in Portland, OR name itself The Electric Coffee Company? Was their something about the company which made it unique compared to other coffee manufacturers and roasters of that era? Did the plant have an early electricity generated advantage over other coffee competitors, or was the name simply meant to make a consumer feel the brand was superior over others since it used electricity somehow when it was made? The brand of coffee itself is nothing special…”Fancy Coffees”, so that was not the draw. But electric was somehow made to differentiate this company from others. Why, I do not know, but I can only speculate that in the era this general store counter bin was produced electricity was starting to appear in many stores, and as a result, the company wanted to establish itself as a modern, more sleek type of coffee. Hence, the word “fancy” was brought into their label itself as shown on this bin.
The Electric Coffee Company like many other regional coffee wholesalers, distributors and roasters of that era used a brightly colored color to help their brand be noticed. Collectors of early store bins will find coffee bins in many colors including orange, red, green, yellow, blue, black and a few other standard colors, even while utilizing the same advertising language on them. However, these bins sold different brands of coffee, and metal plates on the bin lids often helped the consumer know which brand of coffee they were buying. You cannot see the plate on this bin in the view, but many had the plates attached on the tops, especially in the rolled, domed, and slanted top lids which incorporated metal latched doors or lids allowing consumers to access their coffee beans. Because these bins were used so often on a daily basis by their customers, the lids are often damaged or even suffered broken hinges due to the wear and tear they absorbed while doing their job in the stores.