This tin which once contained coffee with chicory was purchased in a period when the importation of coffee beans into Australia was quite expensive and to counter that local distributors of coffee mixed it with Chicory, a blended coffee, flavoured slightly milder depending on the amount of coffee(percentage) per serve. This provided a cheaper cup of "coffee" drink. This mixture was a spin off from the 1930's Great Depression and the naval blockages of World War II (imports from India and other regional coffee growers) and the scarcity of secure ship supplies. As supplies became more secure "pure" coffee as a drink became available at reasonable costs. This "insignificant" coffee/chicory tin is very significant as it demonstrates that the Kiewa Valley was becoming more accessible to reliable coffee supplies and general food items.This was brought about through reliable roads and an ever increasing population The need for travelling supply caravans to the area, and with the establishment of grocery stores in Tawonga and Mount Beauty the supply of previously "hard to get" groceries vanished. This transition was precipitated by the SEC Vic Hydro Scheme of the 1940's to 1960's which increased the valley population two fold.This container of McKenzie's Coffee and Chicory is made from pressed steel and has a tight fitting lid (steel with a protruding lip to allow finger pressured removal). The tin has one pressed seem (holding the cylinder together). The backdrop of the outside of the tin is "grained" brown painted with dark brown (worn) lettering and central between McKenzie's/Coffee is a figure of an eagle with its wings outstretched. All the letters and figure have been embossed into the tin surface. The weighted contents are listed at a capacity of 1Ib Net.On one side (front) "McKenzie's Coffee and Chicory 1lb Net". On the other side "COFFEE & CHICORY" underneath "Guaranteed under the Victorian Pure Food Act 1905" "No. 1000 guaranteed under the Pure Food Act 1908, N.S.W. by Jas F. McKenzie & Co. Pty Ltd., No. 1000." "No 22 Guaranteed under the Food and Drugs Act 1910 by Jas F. McKenzie Pty. Ltd No. 22 (Tasmania)." Further "No. 1000 Guaranteed under the Health Acts by Jas. F McKenzie & Co. Pty Ltd No. 1000 (Queensland) "Containing not less than 50 percent of coffee." And at the bottom Jas.F. McKENZIE & Co. Pty Ltd Melbourne and Sydney"tin food/drink mild steel containers, food/drink storage containers

This "coffee" tin has by the "art deco" appearance its origins in the late 1950's to 1960's. This time period was one of accelerated growth both in the physical (housing) sense and the mental (new ideas and inventions) changes in "attitudes". These occurred more rapidly in cities but had its effects on the rural environment. The drinking of coffee was spurred on by easier distribution of imported food and drinks. Advertising by stronger radio links and then by television brought the variety of foods and drinks to semi isolated rural regions. The accessibility through greater information channels becoming available brought with it unbelievable ranges of goods and foodstuffs. Rural regions still relied on bulk supplies and relatively larger storage containers than those in cities. This "bulk" buying and storage "syndrome" was a lingering result of many years of "drought" periods when road transports met delays from flooded roadways in supplying population centres in the Kiewa Valley. The construction phases in building the SEC Vic Hydro electricity Scheme in the eastern sections of the Victorian Alps brought many changes to the quiet rural regions in the Kiewa Valley. Changes in population and social mores. The influx of a varied , mostly temporary, and "European flavoured cuisine" changes the "cuppa tea only" flavour to the have a "coffee break". The subliminal influence of the "American" films changed those children growing up in the post 1950s from the "English tea" to the "American coffee". This "Americanisation process has influenced not only rural Australia but also other areas throughout the world.This "insignificant" coffee tin is very significant as it demonstrates that the Kiewa Valley was becoming more accessible to reliable coffee supplies and general food items.The container was part of a "set" of containers that included tea, sugar,biscuits,flour, rice and other family condiments. This type of kitchen storage containers was brought about through changing patterns in tea and coffee useage and overall consumption. Household demands for faster "self help" cooking especially beveridges and the greater choice of kitchen "utensils" was brought on by easier access to products due to a lessening of the area's "isolation" by having a reliable (all weather) road system and an ever increasing population growth. The need for travelling goods/merchant supply caravans to service the area became a diminishing factor, as a result of the establishment of grocery stores in Tawonga and Mount Beauty in the supply of previously "hard to get" groceries. This transition was precipitated by the SEC Vic Hydro Scheme of the 1940's to 1960's which increased the valley's population level three fold.This cylindrical tin has a pull/push lid(for easy access to the contents). The container is labelled for "coffee" however it has no commercial manufacturer's label to establish that it was bought with coffee ingredients in it. The majority of the container's external surface has a "metallic" light blue colour with two sets of silver rings confining black (horizontal spotted) rectangles. "COFFEE" within an elongated spherical "art deco" four pointed banner of silver and black colouringkitchen containers, domestic food storage, bulk stocks of dried condiments

This item was produced by a Melbourne Tea, Coffee and Cocoa Merchant importers(1898-1960). It was a time when local production of, coffee had yet not begun. Imports from India and the Asian region had dominance in the market place. The blending of coffee with chicory was a cheaper method of providing a flavour enriched drink which was marketed as "containing not less than 55 parts per cent by weight of coffee" The coffee weighed heavier than the chicory. This was a time before strict accurate consumer information/content became mandatory and legally enforceable.This empty container of "Sunbeam" Coffee and Chicory finely ground "instant - just add boiling water" beverage was the start of the "fast" breakfast drink. The use of grinding the coffee beans and percolation to obtain the final drink was at the start of the rural sector's decreasing the time for casual drinking. The once casual countryside psyche was now (mid to late 1900's) becoming more "on the go".This cylindrical container (coffee and chicory) is constructed from pressed cardboard with both ends enclosed by tin(pressed) lid and bottom. The outside wrapping is promotional and descriptive in the colours of purple background and information label areas with purple lettering on a white and silver background. The cylinder is made from 2 mm pressed cardboard.Main label " No.1" underneath "Sunbeam" underneath "COFFEE and CHICORY" UNDERNEATH "Containing Not Less than %% Parts Per Cent By Weight of Coffee" underneath in Hand Writing" Griffiths Bros Limited", below this "TEA ,COFFEE & COCOA MERCHANTS" Below this" Mellbourne, Sydney, Adelaide" and lastly "net 1lb weight". Alternate side "The Following Well Known Economical & Flavoury Teas" underneath this "Packed Specially For The Trade" underneath "SUNBEAM & VICTORY SIGNAL COCOA" and in smaller print "Absolutely Pure, Made in Australia" underneath Equal To The Best Imported"breakfast containers, food storage, instant coffee, speed breakfasts, domestic

This set of kitchen dry food canisters is made of metal; each container has a different height, width and capacity. The rolled thin metal has created a strong, round design with decorative rings on the circumference. The base and close-fitting lid protect the contents from vermin and most insects, and the handle on top aids in the removal of the lid. Metal containers like these are reusable and can be re-purposed, which is advantageous when living in regional or rural areas. The type of manufacture indicates that the set was made in the late 19th to early 20th century. Gradually, colourful and attractive plastic kitchenware began to replace metalware. One of the canisters is labelled 'coffee'; coffee plants and seeds were transported from Brazil into Australia in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived although their growth was unsuccessful. However, by the 1920s, a tenth of the Australian population was drinking readily stored coffee. Large quantities of harvested grains such as maize, wheat and barley were protected from pests by being stored in airy buildings, often raised from the ground. This was an age-old practice used by civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians and early Hebrews. Smaller quantities of food for short-term use in the homes were stored in woven baskets or clay pots.This set of kitchen food containers is an example of colonial food storage used in a domestic setting to store and preserve dry ingredients. These canisters give a snapshot of early domestic life in Australia. Canister set; four cylindrical cream coloured metal canisters with domed lids that have lift-up handles on top. They are made from rolled metal and the bases and lids have a side seam. Each canister is a different size and displays a label for different contents. The adhesive labels are vertical, and a gold colour with black vertical text. The cream paint has brush strokes and small areas have exposed green paint under the cream. The insides of the bases are painted dark grey but the lids have no paint underneath. The empty canisters can fit one inside the other. Labels, in descending order: "FLOUR" "RICE" "SAGO" "COFFEE"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, canister set, kitchen storage, food storage, metal canisters, dry food storage, food packaging, kitchen container, vintage, flour, rice, sago, coffee, kitchenalia, late 19th to early 20th centuries, nesting canisters