Griggs, Peter (2016) Empires of leaves: tea traders in late nineteenth-century and Edwardian Melbourne. Victorian Historical Journal, 87 (1). pp. 29-57.

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Abstract

Between 1880 and 1914, Victorians consumed almost a third of the tea imported into Australia and Melbourne had become the main Australian centre for the re-export of tea to other Australian colonies and nearby Pacific islands. This paper identifies the Melbourne firms specialising in the tea trade between 1880 and 1914. The analysis shows that some firms focused on just importing the product and offering it for sale at auctions; others produced brands of packet tea with distinctive trademarks and packaging, relying on extensive advertising to promote their products. Several Melbourne tea traders made large fortunes-their business empires were literally founded on leaves.

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