While the brewing industry was dominant in the Collingwood and Abbotsford area during the 19th century, the rise of the temperance movement helped drive the expansion of non-alcoholic drinks manufacturing in the area. Alongside the many brewers and pubs, inner Melbourne saw the growth of “soft drink” and cordial manufacturers to provide an alternative to beer and wine. The Swiss, and later British, company Schweppe’s expanded into Fitzroy in 1886 when Jacob Schweppe built a factory at 35 Lithgow St to manufacture “aerated waters” and cordials. Schweppes’ factories thrived during the late nineteenth century, and production continued on this site until the 1950s. Like many other specialised food and drink producers which grew during the 19th century, Schweppes International underwent mergers to consolidate their business, eventually merging with the English confectioners Cadbury in 1969 to become Cadbury Schweppes. Through the formation of this conglomerate, Schweppes was also merged with the dominant local industrial power of Macrobertson’s, whose nearby White City complex on Argyle St Fitzroy had been acquired by Cadbury only two years previously.
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