Primo Brewing & Malting Company
Brewing company based in Honolulu, Hawaii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
United States
| |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1897 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | Pabst Brewing Company |
| Website | primobeer |
History
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 changed Primo from brown bottles to green ones.
- 1990: The company returned to brown bottles.
- 1997: Stroh discontinued Primo beer.
- 1999: Pabst Brewing Company acquired the Primo brand when it purchased assets held by Stroh.
- 2007: Pabst brought 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]
In popular culture
Hawaiian comedian Frank De Lima mentions Primo beer twice in the "Solid Mold" segment of his 1982 comedy record Please Buy This Album![7]
A 1904 advertisement for Primo Beer in the Hilo Tribune newspaper
Advertisement from 1901
