In 1959 Ian Venus and Brian Hartung set up their first office in a small room at the back of 383 Flinders Lane in Melbourne. A year later, when Australian import restrictions were lifted, Ian and Brian looked beyond Australia’s shores for supplies. They soon introduced new products such as jute twine from Scotland, brown kraft paper from Austria and water-activated tape from England to the Australian market. In 1962 the partnership dissolved. Ian Venus retained Venus Hartung & Company while Brian Hartung established a new business and retained the non-packaging agencies. Later in 1962, Venus Hartung won its first major contract – to supply the Australian government with cellulose tape imported from Austria
