Eight O'Clock Coffee

Eight O'Clock Coffee is the brand name of the light roast of coffee introduced by the American supermarket chain A&P in 1859. In 1919, the roast was renamed and given its current trademark. The company supposedly derived the name by conducting a survey asking people what time of day they drank coffee most. The majority of those surveyed reported that they typically drank coffee at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., which is why company went with the name "Eight O'Clock Coffee."

In the 1930s, Eight O'Clock coffee had gained over a quarter of the U.S. market share. By 1930, it was the most popular brand of coffee in the United States. In 1979, A&P licensed its division Compass Foods, Inc. to sell Eight O'Clock Coffee to other retailers including competing supermarket chains; in 2006, Eight O'Clock was acquired by India's Tata Coffee.

Today, Eight O'Clock Coffee is the fourth largest seller of coffee in the U.S. In 2009, Consumer Reports rated 8 O'Clock Coffee's 100 percent Colombian brew as the "best buy" for ground brews, beating well-known brands such as Folgers, Maxwell House and Starbucks. The Eight O'Clock Coffee company is headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey and manufactures its coffee in Landover, Maryland.