1889-1964::The W. A. Jameson Coffee Company

The little Vancouver Island coffee company that became a household name.

"1889::The Jameson Trademark" Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1922)

Victoria, British Columbia

Long before Starbucks came to life in Seattle, Washington, a small, family-owned coffee company on Vancouver Island made such a name for itself that many West Coasters couldn't start their day without it. For nearly a century, Jameson's Coffee was the go-to pick-me-up cuppa found on breakfast tables across Western Canada and along the Pacific coast.

"2022::754 Broughton Street in Victoria, British Columbia" Photo: Google Earth Pro Imagery Capture: 11.2022

The company was renowned for importing only the world's best teas and coffees, ensuring every cup delighted the senses. Coffee beans were carefully selected and perfectly roasted, and fresh brews and steeped teas were always available to visitors in their company's Tasting Room. Jameson's was a trusted Trademark found on all Jameson products manufactured and distributed from their large brick building at 754 Broughton Street in Victoria, which still stands today.

"1889::Robert Hamilton Jameson" Photo Clip: The Islander Magazine (1967)

Victoria, British Columbia

Robert Hamilton Jameson, a true Scot born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, home of the famous whiskey-making Jamesons of Dublin, Ireland, journeyed to the Pacific coast in 1887, not long after the Canadian Pacific Railway rolled its first train along its transcontinental rails. He was closing down his small chain of grocery stores back in Whitby, Ontario, and was looking for a fresh start. On his visit to Vancouver Island, he was mesmerized by its natural beauty and its potential as a business hub. He returned home only to pack up his family and move them to their new island home on Montreal Street in Victoria's James Bay. In his first year as an islander, Jameson had purchased riverside property near the Sooke Potholes and had re-established his grocery business in the heart of Victoria.

"1890::R. H. Jameson Groceries & Provisions on Fort Street, Victoria, British Columbia"

Photo Clip: (tbd)

In 1889, just days before Christmas, Jameson opened his first island store next to Scotch House, Victoria's famous and well-established menswear store on the south side of Fort Street between Government and Broad Streets. He painted his storefront red to stand out among the other vendors and offered free delivery service to his new patrons. Jameson's Groceries & Provisions quickly made a name for itself in its new home.

"1889::Jameson's Groceries & Provisions Opens For Business"

Photo Clip: The Victoria Daily Times (1889)

Victoria, British Columbia

Jameson sold fresh produce and a few specialty teas and coffees that he had previously arranged to import while travelling across the country. His new store experienced immediate success, being located next to Scotch House, to the extent that he brought his sons in to help. By the turn of the century, the next generation of Jamesons were running the family business.

"1900::The Jameson Family of Vancouver Island"

Photo Clip: The Islander Magazine (1967)

Victoria, British Columbia

Seated in front: Jack Jameson and Gordon Jameson.

Second row: Luta (Austin), Robert Hamilton Jameson, Moragh (Turnbull) and Mary Cecelia Jameson.

Back row: Carron Jameson, Bertha (Powell), Robert J. Jameson, Mary (McRae) and William Alexander

Jameson often referred to his children as his clan, for whom he sacrificed his business travels to spend more time at home. In 1901, however, when his oldest son, William Alexander, took complete control of the store's operations, he resumed his travels to far-off lands. The young Jameson generation ushered in the new century, managing the store and rising prominently among local businessmen. While Jameson's second-oldest son was busy developing a successful automobile business, his other four sons were becoming wholly immersed in the success of William Alexander's new store, the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company.

"1905::The Ames Holden Block on the Corner of Broughton and Langley Streets"

Photo: City of Vancouver Archives (Out P769)

Within its first few years of business, the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company had expanded to new locations on Fort Street and Oak Bay Avenue. However, expansion was not enough for the ambitious young Jameson. After the tragic loss of his only child in 1908, he moved the operations of his company under one roof, filling space in the old Ames Holden Building on the southwest corner of Broughton and Langley Streets.

"1902::All Goods Sold as Presented"

Clip: (tbd)

Along with a location change, Jameson made adjustments to his inventory, reducing his stock of small, fresh groceries to focus more on his wholesale tea and coffee business, as well as the manufacturing of specialty spices and baking supplies. As his plan progressed, it became evident that his company would soon outgrow its new location.

"1910::The W.A. Jameson Coffee Company at the Corner of Langley and Broughton Streets Receiving 12 Tons of Tea"

Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1910)

Victoria, British Columbia

In February 1910, the CPR Steamship Empress of China arrived in Victoria from the Orient with a staggering 12 tons of tea on board (equal to nearly one-quarter of the tea dumped into Boston's harbour in 1773). It was the largest shipment of tea ever received in the capital city, and it was all for the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company. Teas from Ceylon and India, the best in the world, were carefully stacked along the southwest corner of Langley and Broughton Streets, all waiting to be fit into the company's new warehouse, where Jameson's men had unpacked 18 tons of coffee from New York the previous week. The company had moved into the Ames Holden building just a few months earlier, but it had already outgrown its 6,500-square-foot space. With the help of local architects, young William Alexander began designing and constructing his company's new factory and warehouse.

"1911::W.A. Jameson Coffee Company's New Home at 754 Broughton Street"

Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1910)

Victoria, British Columbia

Just weeks before Christmas 1911, the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company moved into its new building at 754 Broughton Street. William Alexander had spent nearly 20,000 dollars on his custom-designed building and all the modern equipment that money and brains could buy. His company's output was now set to increase exponentially. By the end of its first year in the new building, Jameson brand products were being packaged and shipped to stores throughout Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Alaska, the Yukon, and everywhere west of Winnipeg.

"1911::Third Floor Roasting Room of the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company at 754 Broughton Street"

Photo Clip: (tbd)

The Jameson warehouse was designed to facilitate the smooth flow of business and to protect the company's inventory. Hot water heating was piped throughout, keeping teas and coffees dry. William's brother, Robert, now employed by Victoria's leading electrical contractor, Hinton Electric, installed a freight elevator with a 3,500-pound lifting capacity, connecting the building's activities on all three floors. On the first floor, the company's administrative offices shared space with its official Tasting Room and storage facilities for manufactured goods. The second floor stored all the raw materials used to manufacture and package Jameson brand products. The third floor was where all the action took place. It housed the company's commercial coffee mixers, as well as two cutting-edge coffee bean roasters that produced 800 pounds of roasted coffee per hour. Coffee grinders with an output of 1,000 pounds per hour made it an impressive setup, even by today's standards. It was a successful local business that made Victorians proud.

"1912::The W.A. Jameson Company Stand at Victoria's Fall Agricultural Fair"

Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1912)

Victoria, British Columbia

After settling into its new home, the company went on the road, appearing at fairs and exhibitions around the province. On display were its popular Jameson brand Featherlight Baking Powder and its Persian Sherbet, both local favourites. The fairs also provided an opportunity to introduce the company's lesser-known products, such as ice cream powder, flavouring extracts, and specialty spices. What drew the crowds to the exhibit the most, however, was its unique coffee drink. Five cents bought a Jameson's Latte made with rich cream from Salt Spring Island. All proceeds were donated to Victoria's YWCA building fund.

"1948::Celebrating Home Industry and the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company"

Photo: (tbd)

In their 60 years of doing business, the Jameson brothers and their company had weathered a few storms. Two World Wars had brought about significant worldwide material restrictions, forcing the company to change its packaging from its signature tin cans to vacuum-sealed paper bags packed within boxes of heavy cardboard—whatever it took to keep its products fresh for its customers.

"1924::Mr. Robert Hamilton Jameson Sr."

Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1924)

Victoria, British Columbia

In August 1924, Robert Jameson Sr. travelled from his home in Sooke to Victoria to have his photo taken for the first time since he was a young man. He had been living on the Jameson Ranch in Sooke since his wife passed away in 1910 and had continued to work the family's riverside property until he died in 1929. It was said that there was rarely a day he was seen without wearing his traditional Highland kilt and Balmoral bonnet. A few years later, in 1937, his son Robert, now a successful automobile salesman, shocked the city when he suddenly passed away after a short illness. He was 57 years old. In 1942, William Alexander, a pioneering businessman and founder of the well-known coffee firm that bore his name, died after a long illness. He had spent forty years building the Jameson brand alongside his brothers to become the most successful coffee and tea merchant on Vancouver Island.

"1959::The Demolition of the Ames Holden Building at the Corner of Langley and Broughton Streets"

Photo Clip: Victoria Daily Times (1959)

Victoria, British Columbia

In 1959, the Ames Holden Building, the first home of the independent W.A. Jameson Coffee Company at the corner of Langley and Broughton Streets, was torn down to make way for a parking lot that would block and disconnect the Broughton to Courtney Street connection. Two years later, after merging with a Vancouver company, the W.A. Jameson Coffee Company left its home at 754 Broughton Street after nearly 50 years of business. It operated from a warehouse on Burnside Road until 1978, when it closed its doors for good.