The firm Julius Meinl was founded in 1862 and immediately made a name for itself as a trader in colonial goods. The first great innovation of Julius Meinl I was to be the first seller of roasted coffee beans. Up to that point, only the raw, green beans had been sold, which then had to be roasted at home on the stove. Since the beans were easily burnt, enjoying a good cup of coffee took care and patience. Thanks to Julius Meinl, however, the smell of burning beans became a thing of the past, and the future of the brown coffee bean was secured.

Over the following years, over 1,000 shops were opened in Austria and Eastern Europe – some as Meinl shops and some on a franchise basis – which contributed to the growing popularity of the Meinl brand.

Julius Meinl am Graben, the erstwhile flagship store of the chain, has always held a special position in the Austrian food market. Over the last 40 years, it has concentrated on the continuous development of its fine foods business. With now over 16,000 products on offer, the wide variety and high quality of our wares have led to Meinl am Graben becoming something of a "Mecca for gourmets" from around the world. Due to the famously high standards of service and genial atmosphere, a visit to Julius Meinl am Graben has now come to be seen more as a special event rather than a simple shopping trip.

The Julius Meinl brand is among the strongest brand names that Austria has ever known. More than 95% of Austrians recognise Meinl's "Moor" logo. Meinl's coffee is not only sold retail, but is among the best-selling coffees in the catering world.

In 2004, Julius Meinl am Graben took the decision to create its own in-house range of food. Producers were sought out, at home and abroad, who valued quality over quantity and who could guarantee a consistently high standard. When this range was launched in October 2004, it already contained a wide variety of hand-made chocolates and a good selection of wine, schnapps, rum-punch, sparkling wine and other Christmas goods. And it would not be Meinl am Graben if it did not contain a careful selection of teas and coffees, for example Kolschitzky Kaffee and Kenya Fancy.

The second branch of the own-name range was aimed at Easter, and covered traditional delicacies like horseradish sauce (in cranberry and other flavours) and of course delicious chocolate Easter Eggs. This year we will continue to expand this range and bring to our customers yet more selected delicacies for their enjoyment.

Julius Meinl am Graben in the New Millennium.
In 1999 the shop on the Graben was completely refurbished, and since the turn of the millennium has been able to offer its extensive international selection over three floors. Shoppers at Julius Meinl am Graben are constantly on the lookout for interesting and unusual products, to discover the new fashions in the world of gourmet food and indulge their desire and curiosity for new tastes. To satisfy this demand, and to keep the scope and variety of our product range up to our customers' expectations, Julius Meinl am Graben keeps close contact with smaller-scale  producers. This has the added effects of both promoting and supporting these regional specialists and also maintaining our high quality standards.

This is why you can find, for example, white poppy-seed cake from the Waldviertel, venison sausage from Arlberg and unpasteurised camembert from western Styria among our standard range.

Approximately 230 staff are employed at Julius Meinl am Graben (75 in the catering trade alone), and achieve great results working to extremely demanding standards. Our pledge, "to offer the best service" applies as much to our support and advice for shoppers as to our home delivery.