Maxwell House

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Maxwell House is an American coffee brand that is owned by Kraft Heinz in North America and by JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. It was introduced in 1892 by Joel Owsley Cheek and named after the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, which bought Cheek’s coffee as its main blend.

For many decades it was the United States’ top-selling coffee. Its slogan, “Good to the last drop,” appears on logos and labels, though the Roosevelt origin story behind the line was later clarified and the slogan remains a trademark.

The brand’s ownership changed several times. It started with Cheek’s Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company (later Cheek-Neal). General Foods bought the Maxwell House brand in 1925, and Kraft Foods later took over after a corporate split in 2012. After the split, Kraft Heinz handles Maxwell House in North America, while JDE Peet’s runs it elsewhere.

Maxwell House has expanded beyond its original ground coffee. It launched Maxwell House Instant Coffee for the U.S. armed forces in 1942, and in later years added decaffeinated, lighter, and various flavored and specialty blends. The brand also gave rise to related lines like Yuban and several formats designed for different brewing methods.

Advertising and sponsorships have been a big part of its story. Maxwell House funded long-running radio and TV programs such as Maxwell House Coffee Time and sponsored shows like The Goldbergs and Mama. It also helped popularize the Passover Haggadah in marketing efforts that reached Jewish households.

Production began in Hoboken, New Jersey, before expanding to plants in Houston, Texas, and San Leandro, California. The Hoboken site was later demolished, Houston’s plant closed in 2018, and San Leandro closed in 2016. Today, Maxwell House’s North American production centers around a facility in Jacksonville, Florida.

In 2025, Kraft Heinz announced a temporary rebrand to “Maxwell Apartment” for National Coffee Day, sold exclusively on Amazon as four 27.5-ounce canisters, while regular Maxwell House coffee remained available in stores.