Behind the Cup: Hills Bros 1935

This 1935 silent travelogue, Behind the Cup: The Story of Hills Bros. Coffee, shot in black-and-white 16mm by Hills Bros. Coffee, traces coffee from El Salvador’s plantations to San Francisco’s roastery. It showcases picking, milling, and shipping in Central America, then roasting and vacuum-packing at the Embarcadero plant for the iconic “Red Can.” A pre-war promotional gem, it highlights the Hills brothers’ innovation and labor ties to Latin America, blending industry with exotic appeal, though it may gloss over worker conditions.