Bushells
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tea and coffee production |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder | Alfred Bushell |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Tea, coffee |
Bushells is a company based in Australia specializing in the production of tea and coffee.
History
The enterprise was initiated by Alfred Bushell in 1883, starting with a tea shop located in Queensland. In 1899, his sons relocated the business to Sydney, where they launched Australia's inaugural commercial tea vending operation. A tea manufacturing plant was established on Harrington Street in Sydney, accompanied by a coffee roasting site at Atherton Place within The Rocks.
In 1940, the Bushell family purchased Carthona, a historic residence situated in Darling Point. During the 1980s, the company broadened its coffee production under the Bushells Coffee label.
The Bushells Coffee brand and its New Zealand operations were sold to FreshFood Services Pty Ltd by Unilever in 1998. The tea segment stayed with Unilever until 2022, when it was sold to CVC Capital Partners as part of the Lipton Teas and Infusions portfolio. Coffee manufacturing remains active at the factory located in Concord.
FreshFood revealed a strategic initiative aimed at eventually shutting down the Concord plant. As of January 2018, preliminary plans suggested that closure would occur within three to five years.