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Making Scents Along Route 1 Maxwell Coffee Plant Jacksonville

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida as a child, I always remember crossing the Mathews bridge into downtown and the smells that filled the air.

Of course you could always smell the roasting coffee beans coming from the Maxwell House coffee plant all the way across the St John’s river, including the smelly pulp mill, but there was also the Donald Duck orange juice plant with fresh oranges in the air.

I remember one time the cologne factory exploded, and you could smell it into the next county.

Some up my friends from school had parents working at the Maxwell House plant which was built back in 1910 by the Cheek-Neal coffee company.

At one time the plant employed over 400 workers along the canning lines and today it’s the soul remaining Maxwell House plant in the U. S.

The plant handles the roasting, grinding and packing of coffee, with raw beans arriving by ship and being processed for distribution where it produces a 100 million pounds of coffee annually.

On the side of the building is a 95 foot tall Illuminated display featuring the words “Maxwell House” with a tilted cup with the remaining drop of coffee dripping from it.

For over a century the company’s signature blue canisters are distributed to grocery stores around the country with the famous “Good to the last drop” slogan on each can.

The story goes that Teddy Roosevelt was staying at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville and was asked if the coffee was good. He was told it’s a secret house blend just for their guests. Teddy replied “Oh, my yes, it was wonderful. It was good to the last drop”.

So the next time you’re driving through Jacksonville and that coffee aroma hits your nose, you may ask yourself if it was good to the last drop, then what was wrong with the last drop?

David Garland May 10, 2026 Jacksonville FL Bridges Factories History

Location: 735 E Bay St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

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