11/26/2022
On November 26, 1905, a woman named Florence Butt opened a grocery store, beginning a legacy that carries on today.
Florence, her husband Charles, and their children moved to San Antonio from Memphis, Tennessee, in 1904. The following year they moved to Kerrville, where Florence invested $60 to open Mrs. C.C. Butt’s Staple and Fancy Grocery. The store was on the first floor of a two-story building; the family lived upstairs. During the first month, the store sold $56 of goods.
The youngest son, Howard E. Butt, started in the family business delivering groceries in a baby carriage, then a little red wagon, and later by horse and buggy. He managed the store while finishing school, graduating as valedictorian of Tivy High School in 1914.
Taking over store operations after serving in World War I, Howard E. Butt’s vision for the company resulted in widespread growth. In 1921, he implemented a cash-and-carry system rather than the traditional credit and delivery method.
Early attempts to add stores in the Hill Country failed, but the business successfully added locations in the Rio Grande Valley under the name H. E. Butt Grocery Company, moving its headquarters to Harlingen and later Corpus Christi.
In 1936, the company acquired the Harlingen canning company to provide “Texas-grown, Texas-packed goods.” In the 1930s and 1940s, H-E-B opened stores in the larger cities of Corpus Christi, Austin, and San Antonio.
Howard had a personal credo: “He profits most who serves best.” Following his mother’s example, he and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Holdsworth) Butt became involved with philanthropic giving and charitable activities across Texas.
Headquartered in San Antonio since 1985, H-E-B is a THC Texas Treasure Business Award recipient, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, and one of the largest private employers in Texas.
📷: H-E-B at 1718 Austin Avenue in Waco, circa 1955-58. The building is presently a furniture store. Courtesy The Texas Collection , Baylor University.
