SIC 2082

Malt Beverages

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

50companies1615–2002founding years49still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1886
EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Royal Grolsch NV
Active · founded 1615 · The Netherlands
Koninklijke Grolsch BV, or Royal Grolsch NV, is the second largest beer brewer in The Netherlands.
The Molson Companies Limited
Active · founded 1844 · Canada
Established in 1786, The Molson Companies Limited is perhaps best known for its brewery, which is the oldest in North…
Fuller Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Active · founded 1845 · United Kingdom
While its larger U.K.
Heineken N.V.
Active · founded 1873 · The Netherlands
1592: An Amsterdam brewery known as De Hooiberg (The Haystack) is established.
Rainier Brewing Company
Active · founded 1878
A Pacific Northwest mainstay for more than a century, Rainier Brewing Company brews and sells a handful of beer brands,…
Fraser & Neave Ltd.
Active · founded 1883 · Singapore
One of the largest publicly listed companies in Singapore, Fraser & Neave Ltd.
Miller Brewing Company
Active · founded 1888
Between the establishment of the Miller Brewing Company in 1855 and the death of its founder in 1888, the firm's annual…
Quilmes Industrial (QUINSA) S.A.
Active · founded 1888 · Argentina
Quilmes Industrial (QUINSA) S.A.
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC
Active · founded 1890 · United Kingdom
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC, popularly known as Wolves, is the United Kingdom's largest integrated…
Young & Co.'s Brewery, P.L.C.
Active · founded 1890 · United Kingdom
1581: Humphrey Langridge operates the Ram Brewery.
Budweiser Budvar, National Corporation
Active · founded 1895 · Czech Republic
Small but feisty Czech brewer Budweiser Budvar, National Corporation has been battling mighty Anheuser-Busch (A-B) for…
SABMiller plc
Active · founded 1895 · United Kingdom
SABMiller plc ranks as the world's second largest brewer in terms of volume, trailing only Anheuser-Busch Companies,…
The South African Breweries Limited
Active · founded 1895 · South Africa
The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) is a holding company whose principal line of business is brewing.
Anchor Brewing Company
Defunct · founded 1896
Anchor Brewing Company has been making unique, traditional beer in San Francisco, California, since the 1860s.
August Schell Brewing Company Inc.
Active · founded 1902
August Schell Brewing Company Inc.
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
Active · founded 1902 · Chile
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…
Suntory Ltd.
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Suntory Ltd.
The Stroh Brewery Company
Active · founded 1909
The Stroh family began brewing beer in a family-owned inn during the 18th century in Germany.
Labatt Brewing Company Limited
Active · founded 1911 · Canada
Labatt Brewing Company Limited, acquired in 1995 by Belgian-based Interbrew S.A., holds the number two position,…
Adolph Coors Company
Active · founded 1913
Adolph Coors Company is the only family-owned brewery in the United States that was able to survive the late…
San Miguel Corporation
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
Takara Holdings Inc.
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Takara Holdings Inc.
Asia Pacific Breweries Limited
Active · founded 1931 · Singapore
Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam were among Asia Pacific's first targets, but the company's major interest developed in…
Latrobe Brewing Company
Active · founded 1933
Latrobe Brewing Company brews Rolling Rock beer, one of the leading brands in the United States.
Valores Industriales S.A.
Active · founded 1936 · Mexico
The holding company Valores Industriales S.A.
Empresas Polar SA
Active · founded 1941 · Venezuela
Empresas Polar SA operates as Venezuela's largest private industrial conglomerate, manufacturing and distributing a…
Asahi Breweries, Ltd.
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Asahi Breweries, Ltd.
Sapporo Breweries Limited
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
Foster's Group Limited
Active · founded 1962 · Australia
Foster's Group Limited, whose beer commercials once taught drinkers to speak Australian, has also developed a taste for…
Todhunter International, Inc.
Active · founded 1964
Todhunter International, Inc.
Groupe Danone
Active · founded 1966 · France
Known until 1994 as BSN Groupe S.A., Groupe Danone is one of the largest food companies in the world.
Constellation Brands, Inc.
Active · founded 1972
Constellation Brands, Inc., is the only alcoholic beverage company in the United States involved in all three…
Ferolito, Vultaggio & Sons
Active · founded 1972
The seemingly overnight success of AriZona Iced Tea in the early 1990s made its owner, Ferolito, Vultaggio & Sons, a…
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Active · founded 1980
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is one of the top ten beer makers in the United States and the country's largest…
McMenamins Pubs and Breweries
Active · founded 1983
McMenamins Pubs and Breweries owns and operates more than 50 establishments in Oregon and the state of Washington and…
Mendocino Brewing Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1983
Mallya's interest in MBC stemmed from his ambitions as a businessman.
The Boston Beer Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1984
As America's leading microbrewer, The Boston Beer Company, Inc.
BBAG Osterreichische Brau-Beteiligungs-AG
Active · founded 1988 · Austria
Linz, Austria's BBAG Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs AG has been slaking its thirst for growth through a series of…
Deschutes Brewery, Inc.
Active · founded 1988
Deschutes Brewery, Inc.
Interbrew S.A.
Active · founded 1988 · Belgium
With operations on every continent on the globe, Belgium's Interbrew S.A.
Lion Nathan Limited
Active · founded 1988 · Australia
Lion Nathan Limited is one of the leading brewers in the Australasian region, with the number one spot in New Zealand…
New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1991
New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc., is one of the largest regional specialty brewers in the United States, producing…
Orkla A/S
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Baltika Brewery Joint Stock Company
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
Baltika Brewery Joint Stock Company is the largest beer brewer in Russia, with about 20 percent of the domestic market.
Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
Active · founded 1994
Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc.
Diageo plc
Active · founded 1997 · United Kingdom
Diageo plc is a world leader in branded food and drinks.
Tsingtao Brewery Group
Active · founded 1997 · China
Tsingtao Brewery Group is the parent of publicly traded Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited, which is renowned for its…
Companhia de Bebidas das Américas
Active · founded 2000 · Brazil
AmBev, more formally known as Companhia de Bebidas das Américas, is the world's fifth largest brewer.
C.I. Traders Limited
Active · founded 2002 · United Kingdom
C.I.
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