Clear Lake Coffee Roasters: Explorer Series: The Hills Bros. Coffee Company and the Iconic “Taster” Sculpture at the Embarcadero

The Hills Bros. Coffee Company & the Iconic “Taster” Sculpture at the Embarcadero 

San Francisco’s coffee heritage runs deep, with Hills Brothers Coffee standing as a hearty symbol of innovation, aroma, and cultural identity. Anchoring this legacy is a captivating nine-foot bronze sculpture—“the Taster”—that continues to greet passersby at the old roasting house on the Embarcadero. Let’s brew up a detailed look at the company’s history and this flavorful public art.

1. Origins & Early Legacy 

• From Stall to Standout (1878–1906)
  Brothers Austin H. and Reuben W. Hills began selling dairy, tea, and coffee in 1878 from a Bay City Market stall in San Francisco. Their success led to Arabian Coffee & Spice Mills by 1882. The company formally became “Hills Bros.” in 1906. The Hills brothers became phenomenally successfull and were instrumental in popularizing coffee in the United States. 

• Pioneering Freshness: Vacuum Packaging
  In 1900, delivering coffee throughout the West and into the Sierra Nevada gold rush towns could be an arduous, laborious and time consuming prospect, freshness was a challenge; every day on rails and roads, the coffee grew staler.   R.W. Hills stumbled upon a way to remove the air from packaging. This became known as vacuum packing and kept coffee beans fresher and soon revolutionezed the business of coffeee. The firm implemented vacuum-sealing for coffee—groundbreaking for its time. This method dramatically improved freshness and quickly became industry standard. 

2. The Taster: Brand Symbol Comes to Life

• Briggs’s Timeless Logo (circa 1897–1906)
  The now-famous image of a bearded, turbaned “coffee taster” sipping from a cup was sketched by a local artist, Briggs, to highlight the coffee’s Ethiopian heritage. The graphic version of the statue became their well-known logo, and the company thrived independently for over one hundred years. 

• From Packaging to Monument (1992)
  Sculpted by Spero Anargyros (1915–2004), a 9-foot bronze statue was installed near the Harrison Street plant, faithfully recreating Briggs’s figure. Officially titled “Taster,” it stands as a tribute to global coffee origins and Hills Bros.’ legacy 

3. The Embarcadero Plant: Landmark of Industry

• Romanesque Revival Architecture (1924–1926)
  The company’s move to 2 Harrison Street brought them to a grand brick structure designed by George W. Kelham, facing the waterfront—a true industrial landmark. Austin and R.W Hills set up a coffee-importing business called Arabian Coffee and Spice Mills. The business partners, brothers imported beans to California from around the world and roasted them for distributionn all over the west including the 'gold rush' town Virginia City, Nevada and Reno Nevada. 

• Cultural & Commercial Heartbeat
  For decades, its roasts perfumed the waterfront. It expanded nationally and changed hands  Eventually, long after the brothers had predeceased eachother and ceded the copmany to second and third generation family members and unrelated operators, the company was sold a number of times; —Nestlé (1985), Sara Lee (1999), and finally Massimo Zanetti Beverage (2006).

• Modern Day Reuse
  The factory closed in 1997, and the company left San Francisco, moving its headquarters downstate to Glendale, CA; today, he building , houses offices like Google and Mozilla, a Wharton campus, and yes, a Starbucks—yet the “Taster” remains a silent guardian in the courtyard, dazzling passersby.

4. The Sculpture Experience 

• What to See & Where
  Located in Hills Bros. Plaza, off Harrison Street just steps from the Embarcadero, the bronze Taster captures mid-sip energy—robes and turban flowing, mug raised in reverie. 'A Yemini dude drinking a big cup of coffee' The statue is enormous, about nine feet tall. The man is in midstide, drinking from a gaint coffee cup. the man seems to be some mash-up of Ethiopian and Yemeni with little flowers all over his thobe. 

• A Plaque with Purpose
  Engraved with details about Briggs’s original design, the statue reads as a statement: honoring Ethiopian coffee roots, celebrating vacuum-packing innovation, and symbolizing quality 

5. Why It Matters

• Cultural Continuity
  While architecture and ownership have evolved, the Taster bridges past and present, reminding us of Hills Bros.’ origins in global craftsmanship.

• Public Art Persona
  Sculpted in 1992 amidst a wave of Embarcadero revitalization, it’s both nostalgic and timely—a corporate mascot turned local icon.

• Heritage & Identity
  It is a physical testament to San Francisco’s West Coast coffee scene, immigrant legacy, and American industrial creativity.

6. Visiting Tips

7. Brewing the Legacy

From vacuum-packed innovation to architectural beauty and an enduring mascot-turned-sculpture, Hills Brothers Coffee is more than a brand—it’s a narrative etched in bronze and brick. The Taster stands as a silent metaphor: sip history, savor heritage.

Next time you walk the Embarcadero, pause with the Taster. Reflect on the aroma that once perfumed this spot, the brothers who innovated, and the global journey from Ethiopian bean to San Francisco bronze.

Have you visited this sculpture? Or perhaps uncovered hidden coffee lore nearby? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below!

 Six reasons for making Clear Lake Coffee Roasters - CLCR - your go-to coffee roaster:


☕️ We are a local family-run business located in the heart of Clear Lake, Iowa.

☕️ We go to great lengths to find only the finest and ethically sourced coffee around, from the top 2% of coffee beans in the world.

☕️ We only source 100% certified Arabica coffee beans, carefully hand-selecting each coffee based on specific quality and taste attributes.

☕️ Our roasting process has been refined over the years and each roast profile is individually designed to complement the nuances of the coffee we source, from Cup of Excellence (COE) award-winning producers.

☕️ By roasting in smaller batches, we can ensure our coffee is ALWAYS fresh, in fact, we roast your coffee only after you place an order - the same day your order ships out.

☕️ At CLCR, we are dedicated to a single mission: the unyielding pursuit of coffee perfection in every cup.

We would give you more reasons, but rather than reading it's better if you visit our website, purchase a bag or two, and experience a unique caffeinated or half-caff journey for yourself 😊!
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