Salvation Army officer Herbert Booth started the business in Melbourne, Australia in 1897[1] and ran it until its closure in 1929.

Hamodava was relaunched by The Salvation Army in September 2016, with the company's operations being moved to Auckland.

Booth founded the Hamodava Tea Company in 1897, along with Ashley Lamb as a means to provide funds to support the work of The Salvation Army.

Lamb sourced tea from Sri Lanka and blended and packed the product for retail in Melbourne.

[citation needed] The Hamodava Cafe is situated on Bourke Street in Melbourne, Australia.