Description
General store owners used the Enterprise Model No. 12-1/2 coffee mill for grinding larger amounts of coffee. Manufactured between 1886 and 1898, it stood 42 inches high, had 25-inch diameter wheels and weighed about 64kg.
Large, double wheel manual metal store coffee grinder mill.
The first coffee mill, made specifically to grind coffee beans, was invented by Englishman Nicholas Book in the late 17th century. Coffee was placed in the top of the lever device and was grinded into a bottom drawer.
In 1798, the first U.S. patent for a coffee grinder was issued to Thomas Bruff of Maryland, who was Thomas Jefferson’s dentist. His wall-mounted device ground beans between metal nuts with coarse and fine teeth. In 1828, Charles Parker of Meriden, Connecticut, manufactured on contract mills that improved on existing coffee mills. Lewis A. Osborn distributed the first packaged ground coffee in New York around 1860. In 1870, John Gulick Baker of Philadelphia patented his Champion #1, which became the most widely used grinder in grocery stores. Hobart invented the first electric coffee grinder and are still a major commercial equipment supplier.
The grinder is heavy cast iron and the original red paint is aged nicely with it worn in places, and chipped off in other areas, exposing surface rust, all adding to its charm.
Product code: 9727/F268