The Bewley family, Quakers who originated in France, moved to Ireland in 1700 and became the country's first tea merchants in 1833, later expanding into the coffee trade. Bewley's has remained Ireland's leading brand of fine Coffees and Teas ever since.
Ernest Bewley took the reins in the 1890's and it was he who oversaw the development of a new dimension to the business: Bewley's Oriental Cafes. His decision in 1927 to embark on his most prestigious venture yet, a cafe in fashionable Grafton Street, was an affirmation of the family's committment to a city that has come through a period of great political and social change. The country has been rocked by war and revolution and the IRish state was in its infancy.
With no expense spared, Ernest Bewley refurbished the building that had once housed Whyte's Acadmey, a school whose pupils included dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Duke of Wellington and Rober Emmett. Fitted out in Bewley's distinctinve oriental tearoom style, the new cafe had as its centrepiece six magnificent stained glass windows commissioned from the artist Harry Clarke, a leading member of the Irish Arts and Crafts movement.
Bewley's cafe offered a haven for Dubliners and it has played a significant role in the literary, cultural and social life of the city ever since.
Bewley's cafe has changed with the times while in keeping with its hertiage, it now offers contemporary, modern cusine and the best cup of qualtiy, fresh coffee in town!
