Historic Hawaii Beer Company Never got to use Aluminum Canning Equipment in Full Production

Tourists on vacation in the beautiful islands of Hawaii may find themselves stocking up on groceries and drinks before heading back to their rented condos or hotels, and while pushing their carts down the beer isle, they'll certainly see offerings from today's two dominating Hawaiian breweries. Beers from the Kona Brewing Company and Alii Brewing Company crowd the shelves, although not so long ago there was a different king.

Before the turn of the 20th century, a company called the Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company popped up, and began supplying Hawaiian tourists and locals with their beer until Prohibition. When the company came back in 1934, it did so under a new name - the Hawaiian Brewing Company.

Primo was the name of "Hawaii's beer", and over time it gained the reputation of the industrial brew - the Budweiser of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1958, one year before Hawaii was to gain its status as a state, the Hawaiian Brewing Company decided to put Primo in cans, and choked by the shipping weights of the typical metals used at the time, it began to look for other alternatives (today's canning equipment is capable of much more advanced canning procedures).

Around 1954, a process was developed to use sophisticated processing machinery to turn aluminum slugs into cans, and a lid would then be added after the can stamping equipment did its job. With the significantly reduced weight of the aluminum can, shipping costs were cut and more profits were available. The Coors Brewing Company in Colorado was among the first to install and use the new canning machinery to prototype this groundbreaking process.

The process of canning beer from aluminum slugs consisted of a large piston that could stamp out these slugs at a rate of 120 cans per minute. After trimming the metal, washing and spraying on a lining to the can's interior, they were then baked and sent to liquid filler equipment to fill the can and then finish the process by applying the lid.

In 1958 the aluminum Primo cans were introduced, and the problems began. The liner was not sufficient to protect the liquid, and 23,000 cases of the first batch were tossed out after spoiling. The lids tended to open not only the top, but also the side of the can, and the beer had to be recalled.

In planning for what they thought would be an extremely successful product, the company had already invested in packaging equipment to fit the new aluminum cans, and this outlay of cash coupled with the disastrous release forced the Hawaiian Brewing Company to declare bankruptcy.

In 1963, the Schlitz Brewing Company took over and began mass producing Primo beer, eventually moving it to a Pearl City based newer facility. As the brand regained popularity among locals, vacationing tourists to Hawaii helped drive the market as during their Hawaiian vacations, they wanted to experience the local brew. Eventually, the cost of production on Hawaii was too much, and in 1979 the canning operations were moved to the mainland - some great deals on used packaging machinery probably ensued!

Primo beer lost its appeal to the locals as the jobs went with the canning operations, and the Hawaii tourists lost their reason to support the brand. Primo struggled on for some time in other markets, and was eventually discontinued in 1997.

Although Hawaii's locals may remember the days of Primo as king, when Hawaii's tourists stray from their vacation rentals today and stumble upon the beer isle of the local grocery store, the brands have changed and new histories are being made.