400BC Hippocrates includes in his medicinal herbs and potions "the black broth of the Lacedeamonians" which inflicted 'alertness' ™. This is thought to be the earliest mention of a coffee-like substance.

600AD A shepherd named Kaldi, from the Kaffa (coffee?) region of Ethiopia is generally credited with the discovery of coffee having noted the lively antics of his sheep after they ate the red berries from a strange shrub.

700AD Coffee certainly has an early presence around the Red Sea area with many mentions in the early scriptures.

1000 Arab traders start to cultivate and trade in coffee in local plantations.

1453 Coffee becomes so significant to Middle Eastern life and culture that Turkish Law makes it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he fails to provide her with her daily quota of coffee.

1475 First coffee house opens in Constantinople.

1511 A corrupt governor of Mecca known as Khair Beg tries to ban coffee for fear that its influence might affect his rule. The Sultan sends word that coffee is sacred and has the governor publically executed.

1600 It was told that many Christians believed coffee to be the devil' s drink. Pope Clement Vlll hears of these comments and decides to taste it before he bans it. However, he enjoys the taste so much he baptises it, saying "coffee is so delicious it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it."

1652 The first coffeehouse opens in England. Soon there are over 2000 in London and so many notables and intellectuals meet there for discussion and debate they are dubbed "the penny universities". Also, the word "Tip" and the custom of tipping enters the English language from the acronym for "To Improve Promptness" as proudly displayed on signs in London coffee houses.

1668 Edward Lloyd' s coffee house opens. Due to its popularity with merchants & maritime insurers a lot of business dealings occurred there. Over the years it grew to become known as Lloyd' s of London, now the worlds best known insurance company.

1690 A coffee plant is smuggled by some Dutch traders from the Arab port of Mocha and taken to Ceylon and Java to cultivate. This initiates the start of a different variety, Mocha coffee.

1727 The French governor' s wife in Guiana says goodbye to her lover Lt Colonel Palheta with a bouquet containing coffee cuttings and fertile seeds. He visits Brazil, which signals the start of a massive industry. From this legacy Brazil is now producing 25-30% of the world coffee crop from these original cuttings!

1773 The infamous ' Boston Tea Party" revolt against tea taxes leads to coffee becoming the national beverage in America.

1890' s A small coffee plantation in Northern Queensland gets underway for export to Asia and Africa.

1901 Luigi Bezzera patents the first "restaurant" espresso machine.

1901 A Japanese-American chemist named Satori Kato of Chicago invents instant coffee and calls it Sanka.

1915 Prohibition in the United States leads to a boom in coffee consumption.

1920' s Coffee starts to be harvested in Northern New South Wales until increasing labour costs prove too high for ongoing success.

1946 Achilles Gaggia perfects the first espresso machine to use higher than steam pressure. Cappuccino is named after the resemblance of its colour to the robes of the Capuchin order monks.

2003 Coast Coffee pty ltd opens it doors for business, using organic growing and processing principles and the latest computer controlled profiling roaster. Bundaberg Blend Coffee is launched.