Grammar Tenses MixLevel: upper intermediate

Bewley's Oriental Cafés

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. Bewley's (be) an old Irish tea house chain.
2. The history of the famous Bewley's Oriental Cafés (begin) in 1835 when Charles Bewley (import) over 2000 chests of tea directly from the Chinese province of Canton to Dublin.
3. It (not / look) like a great deal today, but back then it (be) a coup: no man before (dare) to import tea directly into Ireland.
4. Bewley's initiative (put) an end to the East India Trading Company's tea monopoly which before 1835 (force) the Irish to import their tea from London.
5. Samuel Bewley's son Joshua also (become) a tea merchant.
6. Like his father, he (import) tea into Ireland.
7. The Irish (like) the idea of not having to import old tea from London.
8. A tea expert (notice) that even the poorest Irish people (buy) only the finest tea.
9. By the end of the 19th century a tea culture (develop) in Ireland.
10. In 1894, Joshua's son Ernest Bewley (want) to stimulate the market for a product that (be) rather unknown that far: coffee.
11. In the back of his shop in Dublin's George's Street, he (begin) to run coffee making demonstrations.
12. His wife (bake) scones to go with the coffee, and the couple soon (find out) that their idea (be) extremely popular among customers.
13. That (mark) the beginning of the first Bewley's Oriental Café.
14. In Dublin's Grafton Street, Ernest Bewley (open) another Bewley's Oriental Café in 1927, on which he (spend) nearly 60,000 Pound.
15. Still now the interior furnishings and wonderful stain glass (provide) a very special oriental flair.
16. During World War II, Bewley's (must restrict) the supply of tea to an ounce per head, and many customers (switch) to coffee.
17. Today, Bewley's (be) Ireland's leading supplier of quality coffees and teas.
18. It (create) a catering service for larger customers such as Trinity College and it (open) cafés in book stores and Dublin Airport.
19. Bewley's Clipper Gold Tea and Espresso Prima (win) Gold Awards in the London Great Taste Awards.