The processing of coffee beans dates back to Tenth Century Ethiopia. Coffee came to Europe and America in the 16th century and has since become one of the most consumed beverages. Processing the beans and making the coffee drinkable is a process that requires a long time.
Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato produced the world's first instant coffee in 1901 using a method similar to the one he had previously used to produce instant tea. Kato's coffee, which he called "Sanka", although it had a bitter and sharp taste at first, was created from grinding dehydrated coffee beans and dissolved quickly when combined with hot water.
Satori Kato was a Japanese chemist. Kato was initially thought to be the inventor of the first soluble instant coffee whilst working in Chicago, after filing a patent in 1901 and exhibiting the product at the Pan-American Exposition until it was realised that David Strang of Invercargill, New Zealand had invented the product two years earlier.
In 1909, Belgian chemist George C. Washington, living in Guatemala, launched the first mass-produced instant coffee, which was sold under the brand name "Red E Coffee". This instant coffee brand would become the top-selling coffee brand in the United States for the next 30 years.
Although coffee consumption skyrocketed in the 1920s due to the prohibition in the United States, it did not reach its current popularity until 1938, when the Brazilian government turned to Nestle to reduce its excessive inventory of coffee. Nestle has developed the spray-drying method to produce more flavorful dried coffee using more easily soluble carbohydrates. This method paved the way for instant coffee production, which is still used in high quantities today.
Almanac: Instant coffee
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almanac-instant-coffee/