Coors Brewing Survives in Changing World
DENVER, Feb. 15, 2005 — -- Coors Brewing Co., founded four generations ago, is the nation's oldest brewer. But given the pressure of global competition, earlier this month the uniquely American company merged with Molson -- Canada's leading brewery -- which is almost 100 years older.
Pete Coors, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year, as a Republican, is the great-grandson of Adolph Coors, the company's founder. Like almost every other male in the family, he grew up in the brewing business.
Coors said his ancestors would have difficulty comprehending the corporate merger of Coors with Molson.
"It's a different world today," he said. "I don't know if they could even comprehend. My grandfather, at one point, thought if we could just get to 250,000 barrels we would be successful."
Adolph Coors, a German immigrant, came to the United States penniless and became a millionaire in 20 years.
"He had the immigrant spirit, the pioneer spirit, that feeling of independence," said his great-grandson. "We've been fiercely independent, and that continues to this day."
During the 1920s, Prohibition almost destroyed the company. Although Adolph Coors committed suicide in 1929, the company survived and flourished. The Coors family's politics were always conservative.
"My grandfather always bemoaned the fact that government had such an impact," Coors said. "And frankly, I suspect Prohibition solidified that pretty substantially."
Joe Coors, Pete's father, was an early supporter of Ronald Reagan and became a powerful force in conservative politics. He funded the creation of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that is at the center of the conservative movement today.
"He had very strong feelings about less government, about the influence of what he believed was the left on our elected officials in Washington," said Coors. "He was part of the catalyst of getting people together to just take another point of view."
For a time, it appeared that the Coors family's politics was bad for business.
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