Molson Brewery

Molson Coors Canada Inc.
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Beverages
Founded	1786; 238 years ago
Founder	John Molson
Headquarters	Montreal,Quebec, Canada
Products	Beer
Number of employees	3,000
Parent	Molson Coors Beverage Company
Website	Molson.ca

TheMolson Breweryis a Canadian-based brewery based inMontrealand was established in 1786 by theMolson family.In 2005, Molson merged with theAdolph Coors Companyto becomeMolson Coors.^[1]

Molson Coors maintains some of its Canadian operations at the site of Molson's firstbrewerylocated on theSaint Lawrence Riverin Montreal.

History

1924 advertisement; "Fifty six years ago when SirJohn A. Macdonaldwas first premier of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, MOLSON'S ALE was then 81 years old! "

Founded in 1786, theMolson Breweryis one ofthe oldest breweries in North Americaand continues to producebeeron the original brewery site.^[2]^[3]

Molson Brewery, c. 1885

On May 2, 1782,John Molson,age 18, leftEnglandforCanada,landing inMontrealon June 26. Shortly after his arrival, he began working at theThomas Loyd brewery.In 1784, Molson sued Thomas Loyd for repayment of a debt. The result was Loyd admitting to the crime, and all of his brewery buildings being put up for auction. Around this time, Molson sensed the market potential for beer in theBritish colony.Prices forwine,rum,and port were rising and an influx of English and Irish immigrants were particularly partial to beer. In January 1785, Molson used the money inherited from his parents to acquire what had been the Thomas Loyd brewery on the shores of theSt. Lawrence,just outside the fortifications of the burgeoning City of Montreal.^[4]

In June 1785, he temporarily closed his business to cross theAtlanticfor modern equipment and ingredients. Upon his return, he offered the seeds free of charge to neighboring Montreal farmers, who agreed to grow them to satisfy the brewery's need formalt.^[5]In 1786, just six weeks after taking the helm, Molson delivered his first brew, anale.Priced at five cents a bottle, his brew sold well.^{[citation needed]}

Molson took advantage of the many business opportunities available at the time. He quickly diversified hisinvestments,opened alumber yard,and began issuingloansto local Montreal merchants. In 1816, the family enterprise began to take shape when founder John Molson entered into an association with his three sons,John Jr.,ThomasandWilliam.^[6]

Although brewing proved to be Molson's most sustainable field of endeavour, other activities were added throughout the company's lengthy history. Molson was the first company to own and operate a fleet ofsteamboats,^[5]which were used to transport people and goods betweenQuebecandOntario.John Molson and his sons also founded theMolson Bank,which later merged with theBank of Montreal.

Thomas Molson would eventually follow in his father's footsteps by continuing the Molson brewing tradition and upholding high standards of quality. In 1903, inspired by the popularity ofimported beers,Thomas’ grandsonHerbert Molsonand brewmaster John Hyde createdMolson Export,an authenticalebrewed in the classic style, developed by John Molson.^{[citation needed]}

TheMolson familywere pioneers in steamships and hospitality, assisted with theMontreal General Hospital,were patrons ofMcGill Universityand the arts, and until 1925, were involved in banking throughMolson Bankwhich merged with theBank of Montreal.^[7]

Store in Montreal with advertising for Molson Brewery, 1910

Molson Breweryexpanded the breadth of its corporate activities throughout the 20th century. In 1945, the family decided to transform the company into a public,limited-liability enterprise.It then became possible to acquire ownership in the company without being a member of the Molson family. This made it possible for the company to expand intolagerand inaugurate a new brewery inToronto(near theCanadian National Exhibition) in 1955.^[8]The Crown and Anchor brand of beer dates from this time.^[8]Two years later in 1957, the family (not the firm) acquired theMontreal Forumand theMontreal Canadiens.The company continued to develop and, in 1958, acquired six breweries, which included five establishments in Western Canada, giving Molson a nationwide presence. In 1989, the company consolidated market share in Quebec through a merger withCarling O'Keefe(acquiring Carling's Toronto brewery in Etobicoke). As a result, Molson became the largest brewery in Canada and the fifth largest in the world.

Molson Brewery in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Molson was once the owner of home improvement chainsBeaver LumberandAikenhead's Home Improvement Warehouse.In February 1994, Molson sold a 75% interest in Aikenhead's toHome DepotInc for $150 million with the option to buy the rest in 1999;^[9]in the event, they agreed on a price of $262 million.^[10]In 1997, Molson sold for CAD$147 million their interest inReno-DepottoCastorama.^[11]In 1999 they sold Beaver Lumber toHome Hardware.^[12]

In 2005, Molson merged with US-basedCoorsto formMolson Coors Brewing Company.This was followed in 2007 by the opening of a new brewery inMoncton, New Brunswick.Sixth-generation family memberEric Molsonretired in 2009; however, his sonsAndrewandGeoff Molsoncontinue to be active in company affairs as members of the corporateBoard of Directors.^[13]

On October 11, 2016,SABMillerin the U.S. sold its interests (from the joint venture formed in the United States andPuerto Rico) inMillerCoorstoMolson Coors,who had been its partner in the joint venture, for around US$12 billion. Molson Coors gained full ownership of theMiller brandportfolio outside of the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and retained the rights to all of the brands that were in the MillerCoors portfolio for the U.S. and Puerto Rico.^[14]

In 2018, the company brewed and marketed a number of the most popular brands of beer in Canada. Domestic labels includeMolson Canadian,Molson M,Molson Export,Molson Dry, Molson Exel Dealcoholized beer,Old Style Pilsner,Rickard's,Creemore Springs,andGranville Island Brewing.Through partnerships with other major brewers, Molson Coors Canada also offers beer brands, includingCoors Light,Miller Genuine Draft,Heineken,Foster's Lager,andTiger.Molson employs 3,000 people in Canada and operates five breweries in locations across the country (Chilliwack,Toronto,Montreal,Moncton,andSt. John's), as well as the Creemore micro-brewery in Ontario andGranville Island BrewinginBritish Columbia.^{[citation needed]}

Operations

Former Molson brewery inOld Montreal

Former Molson brewery in Montreal (Main Building)

Former Molson brewery in Montreal (North-East View)

Molson Coors Canada is a unit ofMolson Coorswith operational headquarters located inToronto(in addition to several breweries across Canada). Molson Coors Canada is part-owner ofThe Beer StoreinOntario(Brewers Retail Inc.), operating as a beer distribution and retail chain, which (protected bylegislation) has an over 85% market share of the total Ontario industry beer sales. Molson Coors Canada owns 50% of Brewers Distribution Limited in Western Canada. Molson Coors Canada has the marketing and selling rights forHeinekenin Canada.

On 30 October 2019, the Molson Coors Brewing Company announced it would change its name toMolson Coors Beverage Companyas a part of a restructuring to take place in 2020.^[15]The name change would reflect the company's growing focus on beverages outside of the traditional beer and brewing offerings. Additionally, the company would reorganize its global business units, including Molson Coors Canada, into Molson Coors North America, headquartered inChicago,and Molson Coors Europe, headquartered inPrague.^[16]^[17]

Molson Coors breweries in Canada are in:

Longueuil,Quebec
Toronto, Ontario– formerCarling O'Keefeplant inEtobicoke,which replaced the old Lakeshore plant (demolished and replaced by WaterParkCity development in 2006)
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Chilliwack, British Columbia
Creemore, Ontario–Creemore Springs
Granville Island, British Columbia–Granville Island Brewing
Shawinigan, Quebec–Trou du Diable
Montreal, Quebec–Brasseur de Montréal

Former:

Molson Brewery, Montreal, Quebec (1786–2022)
Molson Brewery, Barrie – closed in 2000
Molson Brewery, Edmonton– closed in 2007
Molson Brewery, Vancouver – closed in 2019
Molson Brewery, Toronto – closed in 1999

Brands

Molson brands includeCarling Black Label,Molson ExportandMolson Canadian.

Relationship with NHL

On June 20, 2009, brothersGeoff MolsonandAndrew Molson,and their father Eric Molson announced the purchase of 80.1% of theMontreal Canadiensfrom Colorado businessmanGeorge Gillett.The Canadiens have historically been theNHL's most successful hockey team and last won theStanley Cupin1993.Along with the current majority ownership that the Molson brothers have of the team, the Molson company has owned all or portions of the Montreal Canadiens. In June 2009, the consortium led by the Molson brothers acquired the remaining 19.9% of the team that had been held by the company.

In the second decade of the 21st century, Molson and/or Coors had exclusive rights to sell their beverages at the home arenas of the Montreal Canadiens,Ottawa Senators,Toronto Maple Leafs,Edmonton Oilers,Colorado Avalanche,Arizona Coyotes,andDetroit Red Wings.Their beverages could be purchased at other sports venues, such as the home of theBuffalo Sabres,theKeyBank Center,thePhiladelphia Flyersat theWells Fargo Center,theWashington Capitalsat theVerizon Center,andBridgestone Arena,home of theNashville Predators.

Gallery

Brewer and businessman John Molson and his wife, at the family brewery and distillery which was razed to the ground in the second phase of the 1852 fire.
Molson family brewery after the fire of 1858
de Salaberry artwork, beer that your great-grandfather drank
Chariot à bière de la Brasserie Molson, Montréal, Québec, Canada, vers 1908
Brasserie Molson, Montréal, 1930: détail de plante bouteillage
Molson's sponsored the Grand Prix in Montreal during Senna and Prost's day.
Molson Dry bottles in refrigerator
Molson Canadian beer can with pretzels on an Air Canada tray table in 2017
Bierflasche der Marke "Molson Canadian", August 2013
New-look Molson Canadian beer can superimposed on a Canadian flag, July 1, 2014
Bouteille de bière Laurentide, brassée par Molson uniquement au Quebec (juillet 2009)
Molson Export beer bottle label
Molson's agent distribution truck somewhere in America, dated 2010, rear 3/4 view
Molson's agent distribution truck somewhere in America, dated 2010, rear view
1815: Le détail de cette carte nous montre les installations de l'industriel John Molson dans le secteur Est de l'ancien faubourg Québec dans le premier quart du XIXè siècle - detail of urban plans
1846: Le nom de rue Érié n'est pas mentionné ici mais son tracé est nettement représenté: il bornait au Nord, un domaine aménagé, où la famille Molson avait fait construire une résidence cossue, détruite lors du grand Incendie de 1852. À droite, on voit la prison "Au Pied du Courant" où on pendit les "Patriotes" de 1837 - detail of urban plans
1879: Outre les installations de la Brasserie Molson, un atelier de fabrication de pipe (probablement celle de Robert Bannerman) formaient le paysage urbain du secteur de la rue Érié à cette époque - detail of urban plans
Former Molson brewery in Montreal