Eight O'Clock Coffee

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Eight O'Clock Coffee is the brand name of the light roast of coffee introduced by the American supermarket chain A&P in 1919. According to legend, the company came up with the name by conducting a survey asking people what time of day they drank coffee most. The majority of those surveyed reported that they typically drank coffee at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., which is why company went with the generic "Eight O'Clock Coffee."

In the 1929s and 1930s Eight O'Clock coffee had gained over a quarter of the U.S. market share. In 1979 A&P licensed its division Compass Foods, Inc. to sell Eight O'Clock coffee to other retailers including competing supermarket chains. In July 2005, it was acquired by India's Tata Coffee.

Today Eight O'Clock coffee is the third largest seller of whole bean coffee in the U.S.