Molson Brewery
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| Location | Montreal, Quebec Canada  | ||||||||||||
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| Opened | 1786 | ||||||||||||
| Annual production volume | $7 billion CAD in sales | ||||||||||||
| Owned by | Molson Coors Brewing Company | ||||||||||||
| Active beers | |||||||||||||
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Molson Canada is North America's oldest brewery. It is a business division under the Molson Coors Brewing Company. Molson Canada has 3500 employees at various locations across Canada, including breweries in Vancouver, Creemore, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, and St. John's. Molson also operates two micro breweries, at GM Place in Vancouver and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Molson's share is 39% of the Canadian beer market, ranking second to Labatt Breweries of Canada, which is the market leader in Canada.
History
The company was founded in 1786 by John Molson, making it North America's oldest brewing company, and Canada's second oldest company after the Hudson's Bay Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal where the Molson family continues to maintain its headquarters today. Sixth generation Molson family member Eric Molson is Chairman of Molson Coors Brewing Company. The seventh generation members of the family are engaged in the business as well. Eric's son Geoff is a Vice President on the Quebec Management team. Andrew, Eric's son, is a member of the Molson Coors Brewing Company board. Molson remains very much a Canadian iconic family and holds 50% of a controlling trust of the merged Molson Coors Brewing Company.
Today, Molson Coors is the 5th largest brewer in the world. Molson specific brands in Canada and the United States include Molson Canadian (lager), Molson Canadian Light, Molson Ice, Molson Golden, Molson Export (ale), Molson Dry, Molson XXX, Stock Ale, Pilsner, Carling, Tornade, Bohemian and Calgary. In Brazil, Molson owns partial stakes in the Brazilian brands A Marca Bavaria and Kaiser, after acquisitions and disposals in 2000, 2002 and 2006. As of January 2006, Molson has a 15% stake and a board seat in Cervejarias Kaiser the company responsible for Kaiser.[1] Molson also brews Fosters Lager under licence for the United States and Canadian markets. Molson has the marketing and selling rights for Corona brands east of the Manitoba border, marketing and selling rights for Heineken in Canada and markets and sells Miller brands in Canada.
In addition to alcoholic beverages, Molson owns a 20% stake in the Montreal Canadiens, who historically have been the NHL's most successful hockey team. They also sponsor the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings.
In 2000 Molson attracted a great deal of media attention with its "I am Canadian" advertising campaign. The original sixty second commercial of Joe Canada tried to define what it means to be Canadian based on many light-hearted and stereotypical images of Canada. This campaign generated a huge amount of publicity and received a Bronze Lion award at the international advertising awards in Cannes, France. Since then, Molson has transitioned from their old advertising agency Bensimon Byrne in favour of another Toronto based shop, Zig.inc. Molson Canadian advertising in the United States is handled by Taxi New York, an advertising firm with Canadian roots.
Molson Coors executive offices are located in Montreal, Quebec and Denver, Colorado. The Canadian operational headquarters are located in Toronto with the U.S. operational headquarters located in Golden, Colorado. United Kingdom headquarters are in Burton upon Trent, and the Brazilian headquarters are in São Paulo.
On March 14, 2005, the Molson Coors Brewing Company announced that it was retiring its "I Am Canadian" advertising slogan for the new tagline "It Starts Here".[2] The current Molson TV advertising campaigns feature a presumably-American spokesman who plays upon the stereotypes of American ignorance of Canadian culture.
On March 21, 2005 the company introduced Molson Kick, Canada's first caffeinated beer, which was targeted towards the younger crowd. Like Anheuser-Busch's B-to-the-E beer introduced in the United States, it contains guarana, a natural source of caffeine. Molson discontinued Kick in early 2006.
Molson bought Creemore Springs Brewery on April 22, 2005.[3]
Molson is part-owner of Brewers Retail Inc., operator of The Beer Store retail chain, which--protected by legislation--has an over 90% market share of Ontario beer sales. Molson owns 50% of Brewers Distribution Limited in Western Canada.
A residence hall and a football stadium at McGill University are named after the Molson name. The latter was named in commemoration of Captain Percival Molson, member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and a former Football Redmen killed during WW1 who left 100 000$ in his will for McGill to build a stadium (see Percival Molson) . The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto at Ontario Place is home to summer concerts in the Greater Toronto area. The Molson Centre in Barrie Ontario is home to the Barrie Colts and a community centre for family entertainment. The Molson Prize is awarded for distinguished service to the Arts and Social Sciences.
The Concordia University business school is called the John Molson School of Business.
Quotes
My beer has been universally well-liked beyond my most sanguine expectations. - John Molson, 1786
"We are all members of a larger community which depends on everyone playing a part," John Molson speaking to employees in 1825
"An honest brew makes its own friends," John Molson, and displayed on Molson Canadian packaging today
"Jim Dunk says don't drink it." - from a 1980s UK advertising campaign highlighting the fact that Molson was imported to Britain in small quantities, making it a jealously guarded secret among certain people
It Starts Here - Molson Canadian tag line, 2005
"True Canadian Taste" -current Molson Canadian tag line, 2007
Molson beers
- Molson Canadian
- Molson Canadian Sub-Zero
- Molson Canadian Light
- Molson Canadian Ice
- Molson Canadian Cold Shots 6.0
- Molson Brador
- Molson Dry
- Molson Special Dry
- Molson Special Dry Cold Shots 6.5
- Molson Bohemian
- Molson Exel
- Molson Export
- Molson Golden
- Molson Ice
- Molson Kick
- Molson Standard Lager (only available in Manitoba)
- Molson Stock Ale
- Molson Ultra
- Molson XXX
- Carling Black Label
- Old Style Pilsner
- Rickard's Red
- Rickard's Pale Ale
- Rickard's Honey Brown
- Rickard's Yellow
- Rickard's White
- Laurentide (Ale only available in Québec)
- Black Horse (only available in Newfoundland)
- India Beer (only available in Newfoundland)
- Coors Light
- Caffrey's
- Old Vienna
Molson Partnered Brands in Canada
Other ventures
Outside of beer and ice hockey, the Molson family were pioneers in steamships, hospitality, assisting with the building of the Montreal Hospital, patrons of the arts, and until 1925, involved in banking too, through Molson Bank which merged with The Bank of Montreal. Molson was once the owner of home improvement chains Beaver Lumber and Aikenhead's Home Improvement Warehouse. In February 1994, Molson sold 75% interest in Aikenhead's to Home Depot Inc for $150 million.[4]