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Julie Martineau Des Moines County Historical Society This week’s artifact dates to around 1890. It is a chromolithograph and was sold by various grocers around the Des Moines County area. Ours likely came from Blaul Co. Prior to 1864, commercial coffee roasters really didn’t exist. Coffee drinkers would buy the green (raw) beans from their local store, then roast them at home (usually in a cast-iron skillet over a fire) which, needless to say, was unpleasant at best. The taste tended to be bitter and scorched due to the inexpert roasting. Alvin Woolson started Woolson Spice Co. in Toledo Ohio in 1864. Soon after that, he started Lion Coffee Co. Mr. Woolson introduced the “fancy roasting” of coffee, which resulted in a brew that was not only “pre-roasted for your convenience,” but also drinkable. ....