Our History
First roasted in 1913, Butter-Nut® coffee soon became famous throughout the Midwest for its smooth taste and rich flavor. From its Nebraska roots, it grew to become one of the most sought-after brands nationwide. Now, more than a century later, Butter-Nut continues to deliver a delicious cup of coffee - rich in flavor and history.
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BUTTER-NUT BEGINS
Paxton & Gallagher begins selling its classic blend Butter-Nut®, “a coffee as sweet as a nut.” By using gas instead of coal to roast the green beans, Butter-Nut distinguishes itself from other brands of the time, achieving the desired characteristics in freshness, flavor and aroma.
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BREWING UP A BUZZ
More than 7,000 visitors stopped by the Butter-Nut® booth to enjoy a cup of freshly made Butter-Nut coffee at the Nebraska State Fair. Working with a crew of just 6 people, it was almost impossible to hand out the cups fast enough.
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HELPING CHILDREN IN NEED
Perhaps the largest Christmas gift list in the world, Butter-Nut begins its charity program, delivering gifts to around 40,000 children each year. By 1973, an estimated 1 million gifts had been donated to underprivileged children. Butter-Nut coffee drinkers mailed in their tin strips or jar labels from cans of Butter-Nut Coffee, and for each received, Butter-Nut donated gifts to homeless children, including wagons, sleds, dolls, books, games, marbles, jump ropes, balls, jacks, skates, and tons of candy and nuts!
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BUILDING THE BRAND
Butter-Nut establishes its 53,000 square foot warehouse known as the Butter-Nut building, giving Omaha one of the largest coffee roasting establishments in the country. Its signature towering Butter-Nut coffee can is capable of being seen from blocks away. Some Omahans can still fondly remember the sweet aroma of coffee beans wafting through the air while it was in operation.
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DOING OUR PART
Butter-Nut®, like all other coffees, is restricted in volume of output due to World War II. Glass jars temporarily replace the classic tin cans, as metal is in high demand. But for Butter-Nut this means no lessening of the high quality that has made it such a favorite.
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BUTTER-NUT FACTORY TOUR
A video of the Butter-Nut coffee factory and warehouse operations, from Harold Chenoweth’s “Tale of a City,” a film about the history of Omaha, Nebraska.
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OMAHA!
Butter-Nut® broke into the West Coast market with the help of comedian Stan Freberg and his Omaha! radio commercial, shortly after making Butter-Nut the #1 best-selling coffee in California. The radio commercial was considered to be the longest commercial ever aired- lasting six and a half minutes, five and a half of which elapsed before our product was mentioned. It was designed to convey the sound and feel of an original-cast musical, and included a 50 second overture, three original songs and a plot. Titled “Omaha with the Original Cast,” the knee-high operetta was featured each Sunday on KMPC Los Angeles and at other specially billed times.
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SUBLIMINAL TV COMMERCIAL
An animated commercial by Stan Freberg for Instant Butter-Nut® coffee.
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BORIS KARLOFF COMMERCIAL
Horror legend actor, Boris Karloff, iconic for playing mummies, mad scientists, and of course, Frankenstein’s creation, puts his talent to work in this Butter-Nut® coffee commercial, set in a spooky mansion.
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MICKEY MANTLE BATS FOR BUTTER-NUT
Mickey Mantle invites fans to enter the Butter-Nut® Coffee Family Baseball Sweepstakes. The grand prize winner and their family became Mickey Mantle’s personal guests at Yankee Stadium, with 5 days of accommodations at the Americana Hotel in New York, escorted chauffeur driven limousine tours, round trip airfare, and $500 in spending money. Secondary prizes included RCA color televisions, transistor radios, and Rawlings baseballs signed by famous major league players.
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GOING FOR GOLD AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR
Over several years, Butter-Nut® is a consistent winner of the California State Fair. Butter-Nut is awarded the Consumer Reaction Council’s gold medal, meaning the coffee garnered the approval of at least 95% of the consumers involved in taste tests. Butter-Nut becomes the coffee served in Dodger Stadium and in many of Southern California’s finest restaurants and hotel dining rooms.
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COFFEE, CABINS, & COMMERCIALS
A commercial for Butter-Nut® coffee created by director Joseph Hanwright.
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BETTY WHITE COMMERCIAL
KSTP-TV Eyewitness News at 10pm April 13, 1981
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PRESERVING HEARTLAND HERITAGE
America’s Heartland has a pride, a heritage that goes back to hardy pioneers who spearheaded the great migration that opened the Midwest. Butter-Nut Coffee is part of that heritage. As part of the Heartland Heritage campaign, Butter-Nut donated to state historical societies and Capital Restoration Projects for every proof-of-purchase seal sent in.
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SEALED IN HISTORY
Cementing its legacy in history, the Butter-Nut Building is added to the list of the National Register of Historic Places.
