A little look at our big history.
The Early Days
Before Griffiths Bros. was known for its coffee roasting, it was famous for its tea importing. Back in 1879, James and John Griffiths started a business venture that would change the way Australia consumed hot drinks. At that time, Australians were the world’s highest consumers of tea, so business boomed for the brothers.
Griffiths Bros. became a household name during the early 20th century; not only due to the direct sales happening on the streets of Melbourne, but for the more famous method used to market the brand. Before the days of modern-day marketing and social media, James created the well-renowned signs that ran along the railway line, indicating how far travellers were from their next cuppa; for example, ‘1,000 miles to Griffiths Bros Tea’. Some of these signs are still around today, if you know where to look.
Joining Forces
In a traditionalist Australian hospitality industry when 90% of beverages ordered were tea and 10% coffee, an irreversible shift formed due to the increase of European immigrants. This forever changed the landscape and forced Griffiths Bros. to revolutionise their business offering to suit the new market needs.
Greek coffee brand Oasis, originally founded by Byron Theofanis in 1969, was sold to brothers Peter and Dennis Patisteas in 1980 and a mere six years later, they purchased Griffiths Bros., combining the two brands to create the coffee powerhouse Oasis Griffiths Co Pty Ltd. Under the Patisteas brothers, offices were established in both Adelaide and Perth and continue to operate today thanks to the hard-working teams.
The Bright Future
Today, Griffiths Bros. Coffee Roasters operates under Peter Pastisteas and Chris Togias, who acquired the business in 2013. Numerous upgrades to the roasting facilities were established initially and continue to occur as technology evolves within the industry. This included the installation of Brambati roasting technology, green bean cleaning and de-husking equipment that ensure quality and consistency in every roast.
Following the roasting facility upgrades, sustainability initiatives have been put in place so we can lessen our impact on the environment. Whether its repurposing used coffee grounds, reusing the coffee husk or simply donating hessian bags to local businesses, we are setting goals to become a more sustainable business. Read more about our initiatives here.