Today, many Americans prefer their coffee decaffeinated. That option dates to early in the last century, thanks to Ludwig Roselius, born this month in 1874. A coffee merchant in Bremen, Germany, he succeeded in removing caffeine from coffee beans. He moved to the United States before World War I, and his decaffeinated coffee became available in stores in 1923. Roselius sold his process and trade name to General Mills in the 1930s, which made “Sanka” a household name.
Americans spend over $13 billion annually in the nation’s more than 19,000 coffee shops.
You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at here.
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