The Old Soda Factory Behind West End’S Shopping Centre!

Next time you’re shopping at Soda Factory West End (Brisbane), take a moment to look around.

Because before the supermarket trolleys and checkout queues, this was a place where Brisbane’s thirst was being bottled!

The story begins with Thomas Tristram, who arrived in Brisbane in 1864. After working for aerated-water and cordial manufacturer Gardner and Keid, he started his own business in 1875.

In 1877, Tristram partnered with Owen Gardiner, opening a factory in Hope Street, South Brisbane. The business grew, but eventually the site was resumed by Council for road improvements.

A new home was found in West End.

In July 1929, the Tristram family purchased land on Boundary Street. The following year, architects Atkinson, Powell and Conrad designed a new, up-to-date factory.

Completed in 1930, it was certainly no ordinary industrial building!

The factory was designed in a striking Spanish Mission style, with rendered masonry, an arched colonnade and mock terracotta tiles.

And look closely at the decorative iron grilles in the arches… you’ll find the letter “T” - a little reminder of Tristram!

Inside, the factory produced aerated waters and cordials, including popular drinks such as ginger beer and soda water.

Tristram’s continued operating from the Boundary Street factory until 1979, when the building was sold and its machinery removed.

But thankfully, the building survived.

It was converted into a shopping complex and became known as the West End Markets. Today, the historic building forms part of Soda Factory West End, home to Coles and other retailers.

So next time you’re picking up the groceries, remember - you’re shopping inside a building that once helped put Brisbane-made soft drinks on the shelves!

And the Tristram family story didn’t end there.

The family’s soft-drink business was sold to Cadbury Schweppes in the 1970s, while the family continued its food-manufacturing tradition through Trisco Foods, which still operates today.

From ginger beer bottles… to supermarket baskets - what a journey!

Did you remember Tristram’s, the old West End Markets, or the building before its transformation? Maybe you have an old photo or family story?

Sources: Brisbane City Council; State Library of Queensland; Soda Factory West End; Trisco Foods

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The Old Soda Factory Behind West End’S Shopping Centre!

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