Primo Brewing & Malting Company

Primo Brewing Company is a Honolulu-based beer brewing company. The company claims the title "Hawai’i’s original beer".[1] The brand is currently owned and operated by Pabst Brewing Company.

Primo Brewing Company
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded1897 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi,
United States
HeadquartersLos Angeles, CA
ProductsBeer
OwnerPabst Brewing Company
Websitewww.primobeer.com

History
Primo 12-oz bottle at Kaimana Beach, Oahu
Hawaii Brewing Corporation Limited in 1950 (between Kapiolani Blvd. and Kawaiahao St.) from Sanborn fire insurance map of Honolulu

Around 1897 or 1898,[1] the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company was formed by Honolulu industrialist Alfred Hocking, launching the Primo lager brand in 1901.[2] From 1920 to 1933 prohibition caused Primo to halt operations.[3] Other important milestones include:

  • 1933: After prohibition, Primo reopened under ownership of Hawaii Brewing Corporation.
  • 1963: Schlitz Brewing Company acquired Primo.
  • 1966: Schlitz built a new brewery for Primo and other brands in Aiea on Oahu.
  • 1979: Schlitz closed the Aiea brewery and moved production to Los Angeles, California.
  • 1982: Stroh Brewery Company acquired Primo when it bought Schlitz Brewing.
  • 1985: Stroh ended production of Primo in the brown bottle and switched to green ones.
  • 1990: The company returned to the brown bottles.
  • 1997: Stroh discontinued manufacturing Primo beer.
  • 1999: Pabst Brewing Company acquired the Primo brand when it purchased assets held by Stroh.
  • 2007: Pabst decided to bring back the Primo Beer brand.[1]

Primo and its parent company revitalized its distribution and marketing since 2007, reviving the iconic island brand. Primo is a key sponsor at many watersport events such as surf contests, and appears in many bars and stores throughout the state of Hawaii.[4] Although the front office is located in Honolulu, the main Pabst headquarters is in Los Angeles.

In May 2007, Keoki Brewing Company was bought by Hawaii Nui Brewing Company.[5] Portions of the island-based proceeds go to the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and toward preserving Hawaiian culture, land, and heritage.[6]

  • A 1904 advertisement for Primo Beer in the Hilo Tribune newspaper
    A 1904 advertisement for Primo Beer in the Hilo Tribune newspaper
  • Advertisement from 1901
    Advertisement from 1901

See also

References
  1. Rick Daysog (November 18, 2007). "Primo is back". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  2. "The Honolulu Advertiser - Homescape". Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  3. Robert C. Schmitt (1997). "Hawai'i's Beers and Brewers". Hawaiian Journal of History. Hawaiian Historical Society. 31: 143–150. hdl:10524/604.
  4. Primo Beer sponsors 26th Ann. Longboard Classic
  5. "A Look Back in Time..." Hawaii Nui Brewing Company web site. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  6. Patricia Chang (December 10, 2008). "The holiday spirits! Honolulu Weekly". Retrieved September 14, 2010.
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