Moran and Cato was Australia's best known national grocery chain during the late 19th and early 20th century, and it had its origins in Carlton and Fitzroy. The business was established by Thomas Moran, who partnered with his cousin Frederick Cato in 1881 to run two local grocery stores on Lygon and Brunswick Streets; by 1890 this had expanded to thirty-five stores in Victoria, and then moved into interstate operations. Moran and Cato's factory operated on this site from 1927 onwards, after moving from 85-99 Victoria St. The building housed administration and distribution for their national chain of grocery stores, as well as manufacturing and packaging of their groceries. By 1935, this factory was part of a wider distribution and manufacturing network serving over 160 stores in Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. After Moran and Cato was taken over in 1969, this factory was closed, however the building continued to house significant local industry, acting as home to the Rothstein family’s Rotson Knitting Mills until the early 1990s.
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