Despite its impending closure after nearly 165 years, the factory’s products will still bring people together — but it will no longer be around a dinner or coffee table.
Instead, they will be around a bench at the University of Otago’s Hocken Collections, where members of the public will be able to look at packaging from some of the Gregg’s products, photos of the staff and factory, and business records.
Hocken Collections archivist Dr David Murray said the collection aimed to keep memories of the factory alive for future generations.
Gregg’s has been part of Dunedin since 1862, when Irish-born William Gregg established the coffee and spice manufacturing business in Forth St.
Historically, the factory manufactured everything from instant coffee (such as Red Ribbon Roast) to jellies, instant puddings and spices.
In March, owners Heinz Wattie’s announced the factory would close as part of a nationwide downsizing of the company.
Dr Murray said Gregg’s contacted the Hocken Collections and asked if they wanted to archive anything from the factory.
‘‘We were very pleased.
‘‘Things that we’ve got include some company minute books which includes records of some of the business decisions made by the company; some really visually interesting photographs of people working and products that I think people will be keen to see; and a little bit of packaging material, such as the little jelly crystal boxes.’’
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum had also been invited to take some objects from the factory for its collections — particularly glass objects and bottles.
Dr Murray said staff at the Hocken were now working hard to catalogue all the material, which could take months.
It was very important to keep it for future generations, he said.
‘‘Archives provide a community memory and they can be of use to social historians, they can be of use to the general public, to academics doing research, they can be of interest to people whose families were connected with the business.
‘‘Because a lot of this is unique material, it provides a unique record and evidence of things that have happened there in the past — a record of a major industrial business that operated out of Dunedin.’’
Dr Murray said Gregg’s was a household name across New Zealand, like Cadbury’s, so he expected there to be a lot of interest in the archives from people all around the country.
‘‘And there are also people such as collectors — there are quite a lot of collectors of food packaging and advertising.
‘‘So people like that are also quite interested and it sort of helps them to date things, for example, see different designs that were used over the years.
‘‘The whole commercial arts side of it is quite appealing as well.’’
Members of the public were welcome to visit the Hocken Collections, in Anzac Ave, to see the collection, but it might be a few months before it was ready to be displayed, he said.
