William Gregg

1 Nov

Irish-born William Gregg established a coffee-and-spice-manufacturing business in Dunedin in 1862. His Gregg's Club Coffee became a national institution, winning medals at exhibitions throughout Australasia.

Gregg was bankrupted in 1894 but rebuilt the business, laying the foundations of a prosperous merchant house.

By the 1960s Gregg's was controlled by the Baker family of Dunedin. In 1984 it merged with Cerebos, a subsidiary of UK-based Ranks Hovis McDougall.

Cerebos Gregg's later came under the control of Cerebos Pacific, a Singapore-based company, and Ranks sold its interests to Japanese company Suntory in 1990.

Cerebos Gregg's bought the local operations of Robert Harris Tea & Coffee Company and sauce and pickle maker F Whitlock & Sons.