Maison P. Jobin et Cie was founded in 1871, originally located in Rouen, the company has been transferred to Le Havre in 1900. At this time, 4 million bags of coffee were lying in the warehouses of Le Havre. Those coffees were mainly imported from Brazil, suffering from overproduction, by trading houses.

Distribution to the internal market was done by importers/retailers who were buying from dealers holding stocks in warehouses. The links between the numerous dealers and importers were obtained through brokers bringing samples with horse-drawn vehicles.

Jobin’s customers were more than three thousand, most of them small retailers roasting in front of their doors. That is the root of our permanent concern to match our customers’ requirements. Without telephones and motorcars, business was concluded by agents travelling by train all over the country. Sales were added up once they were back in the office. The first phone of Maison P. Jobin et Cie was installed in 1935 and was used only for local communications.