For more than a century and a-half, the earthy aroma of roasting coffee has drifted across the city, serving as a sensory reminder of a commercial empire forged in the frantic fires of the Otago gold rush. At the heart of this manufacturing enterprise stands an Irish immigrant who crossed oceans in search of fortune.
As a very young man he sniffed opportunity in the Ballarat gold fields of Australia. Instead of the backbreaking labour of mining, he took advantage of miners needing daily provisions by setting up a coffee and spice manufacturing business.
When gold was discovered in Otago in 1861, he lost no time shifting his operation to Dunedin. In 1862 he bought the Otago Steam Coffee Mills, which operated from Princes St. As well as roasting and grinding coffee, his business sold everything from cloves to chocolate, mace to mustard and ginger to ground rice.
With his venture thriving, in 1865 Mr Gregg married Eleanor Rosetta Lovell and they went on to produce nine children, six boys and three girls.
The 1880s saw him take the plunge into being more than an importer, setting up a factory in Pelichet Bay that manufactured ‘wax vestas’ — matches.
The company also established a 22ha chicory farm and kiln at Inch Clutha near Balclutha.
It seemed his prosperity was assured, but the depression of the 1890s threatened to bring it all crashing down.
Mr Gregg’s investments in gold dredging companies proved to be a misstep and he had to restructure the firm. It could be that his wife Eleanor, daughter of sheep station owner John Lovell, helped provide money to keep the operation afloat.
His enterprise, however, continued to expand, developing into a well-known household brand selling a vast array of products.
