C. Brewer & Co.

Last updated
C. Brewer & Co., Ltd.
Industry Agriculture
Founded1826
FounderCaptain James Hunnewell
Defunct2006
FateLiquidated in 2001, dissolved in 2006

C. Brewer & Co., Ltd. was a Honolulu-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company did most of its business in agriculture.

Charles Brewer (1804-1885) Charles Brewer (1804-1885).jpg
Charles Brewer (1804–1885)

The company was founded by Captain James Hunnewell (1794–1869) of Massachusetts in 1826, making it the oldest of the Big Five companies. The company originally traded sandalwood with China. Henry A. Peirce joined in 1828 as a clerk, and worked his way up to a partner. Peirce took over when Hunnewell left in 1830. Charles Brewer (1804–1885), the master of Peirce's ships, became a partner in December 1835 and the business was known as Peirce & Brewer. [1]

Peirce retired to a life as a diplomat in 1843, and the company was renamed after Brewer, who shifted the company's focus to supplying whaling ships and general merchandise. Brewer ran the business with his nephew Charles Brewer II (1823–1863) until 1845, and returned to Boston in 1849 on the ship that brought the first gold from the California Gold Rush. He continued to be an investor and convinced Peirce and Hunnewell to rejoin him for a while. [2] James Fowler Baldwin Marshall and Francis Johnson took over management of the Honolulu business. Stephen H. Williams and Benjamin F. Snow continued the business in the 1850s. Charles Brewer II ran the business again in 1859, reviving the C. Brewer & Co. name. Sherman Peck and Charles H. Lunt took over in 1861 when the younger Brewer retired. Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter became a partner in 1862 until 1874. [3]

In 1863, the company entered Hawaii's sugar cane industry, managing three plantations on Maui. Peter Cushman Jones became a partner in 1871, and its president from 1883 until 1891. [4] In 1904, the company purchased the Pepeekeo Sugar Company on the island of Hawaii. [5]

The company emerged to become one of Hawaii's Big Five companies, albeit the smallest. By 1925, after more consolidation, C. Brewer handled 25% of the islands' sugar and was one of Hawaii's largest corporate landholders. In 1930, the new C. Brewer headquarters building was built at 827 Fort Street in the heart of Downtown Honolulu's business district, and is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu. [6] In 1959, seeing the need for further diversification, the company entered the macadamia nut industry, and in the 1990s produced the majority of the world's macadamia nuts under the name Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation. [7]


Between 1978 and 1986, the company was owned by IU International Corporation. In 1986, the company's Hawaii president led a $200 million buyout by other executives, investors, and friends. The move once again put control of the company into Hawaii hands, but it left the company in heavy debt. The macadamia orchards were spun off as a separate company. [8] C. Brewer closed down its sugar business on Maui in 1988 and on the Big Island in 1994. [9] [10] Its real estate business was spun off in 1993. [11] The company moved to Hilo, Hawaii in 1998. [7]

By the end of the 20th century, the company still owned some 70,000 acres (28,000 ha) throughout the state. [12] In 2000, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut was sold to The Shansby Group. [8] In 2001, however, the company's shareholders voted to liquidate C. Brewer & Co., Ltd. [13] The company formally dissolved in 2006. [14] The company's chairman, John W. A. "Doc" Buyers, bought a large portion of the company's assets in 2001, and formed a successor company called D. Buyers Enterprises, focused on the "wellness" industry. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii (island)</span> Largest of the Hawaiian islands

Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the eponymous state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2), it has 63% of the Hawaiian archipelago's combined landmass. However, it has only 13% of the archipelago's population. The island of Hawaiʻi is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the north and south islands of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilo, Hawaii</span> Census-designated place in Hawaii, United States

Hilo is the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement in the state of Hawaii and largest settlement in the state outside of Oahu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keaau, Hawaii</span> Census-designated place in Hawaii, U.S.

Keaʻau is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii. located in the District of Puna. The population was 1,195 at the time of the 2020 census. The population decreased by roughly 50% from 2,253 at the time of the 2010 census.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Hawaii:

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is an American company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company currently operates businesses in real estate, land operations, and materials and construction. It was also the last "Big Five" company to cultivate sugarcane. As of 2020, it remains one of the State of Hawaii's largest private landowners, owning over 28,000 acres (11,000 ha) and operating 36 income properties in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry A. Peirce</span> American businessman and diplomat

Henry Augustus Peirce was an American businessman and diplomat. Some sources spell his last name as Pierce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamakua</span>

Hāmākua is a district on the northeast coast of Hawaiʻi's Big Island, administered by the County of Hawaiʻi in the state of Hawaiʻi. It is also the name given for the coastline in the region, the "Hāmākua Coast".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation</span>

Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation is the world's largest processor of macadamia seeds. The American company was a subsidiary of The Hershey Company from 2004 to 2015, when it was acquired by Hawaiian Host, Inc. The company takes its name from the volcano Mauna Loa. Their headquarters and main processing plant are near the mountain, south of Hilo in the Puna District of the island of Hawaiʻi, known as the Big Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKBG</span> Radio station in Hilo, Hawaii

KKBG is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Hilo, Hawaii, United States, the station serves the Hilo area. The station is currently owned by Pacific Radio Group, Inc.

KKON was a radio station licensed to serve Kealakekua, Hawaii. The station was last owned by First Assembly King's Cathedral and Chapels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Brewer Building</span> United States historic place

The C. Brewer Building at 827 Fort Street in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi was built in 1930 to be the headquarters of C. Brewer & Co., the smallest of Hawaiʻi's Big Five corporations. The intimate, almost residential design was begun by Bertram Goodhue and completed by Hardie Phillip. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 2 April 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano Block Building</span> Historic Place in Hawaii County, Hawaii

The Volcano Block Building is a historic structure in Hilo, Hawaii built in 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Herbert Shipman</span>

William Herbert Shipman (1854–1943) was a businessman with an American background who was from Hawaii. He grew up and conducted his business on the island of Hawaii. One estate of his family was used to preserve the nēnē, an endangered species of Hawaiian goose. A historic house associated with his family for over a hundred years is called the W. H. Shipman House in Hilo, Hawaii. Another of his historic estates called the Ainahou Ranch, built in 1941 as a refuge from World War II, is preserved within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry A. P. Carter</span> American politician

Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter, also known as Henry Augustus Peirce Carter, was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat in the Kingdom of Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick S. Lyman</span>

Frederick Schwartz Lyman was a surveyor, rancher, judge, and politician on Hawaiʻi Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Cornwell</span>

William Henry Cornwell was an American businessman, as well as a military colonel and politician of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He served two separate terms as Minister of Finance and was a member of Queen Liliuokalani's last cabinet before the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaiian Host Group</span>

Hawaiian Host Group (HHG) is a Hawai‘i-based consumer goods & agricultural manufacturing company. It is the largest branded macadamia nut company in the world with a portfolio of brands that includes Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, MacFarms, KOHO, Royal Hawaiian Orchards, and Kapua Orchards. Sold in over 23 countries, HHG produces a suite of products ranging from flavored macadamia nuts to artisan chocolates, and macadamia milk-based ice cream. Its 500 employees are spread across the HHG headquarters in Honolulu and offices in Hilo, Kona, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. HHG has manufacturing plants in Honolulu and Kea‘au, as well as Hawai‘i’s single largest macadamia farm, south of Kona.

Agriculture is an important part of the economy of Hawaii. Though Hawaii relies heavily on imports of food from mainland United States and other parts of the world, export of cash crop specific to the tropical growing environment of Hawaii has made agriculture one of the more important economic sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Hon</span> American geologist and head of Alaska Volcano Observatory

Kenneth Hon, usually known professionally as Ken Hon, is a geologist and the 21st Scientist-in-Charge (SIC) of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), serving since 2021; succeeding Tina Neal (SIC) and David Phillips. Hon has often been a contact from the Observatory to the news media, and as such is often quoted as an authority figure in the field of Hawaiian volcanology.

References

  1. ↑ A. L. Bancroft (September 12, 2007) [1880]. Biography Of Henry Augustus Peirce. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN   978-0-548-45442-8.
  2. ↑ Charles Brewer (1884). Reminiscences.
  3. ↑ James F. Hunnewell (1896). "Early History of C. Brewer & Co". All about Hawaii: The recognized book of authentic information on Hawaii. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 68–73.
  4. ↑ George F. Nellist, ed. (1925). "Jones, Peter Cushman". The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Honolulu Star Bulletin.
  5. ↑ "Register of the Hilo Coast Processing Company (Pepeekeo Sugar Company) Pepeekeo, Hawaii 1889-1946". Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Plantation Archives. University of Hawaii at Manoa Library Special Collections. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  6. ↑ Robert M. Fox and Dorothy Riconda (September 14, 1972). "C. Brewer Building Nomination form". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  7. 1 2 Rick Daysog (August 14, 1996). "C. Brewer plans to move to Hilo - The company will relocate its headquarters in 1998". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  8. 1 2 "Going Nuts - Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business" . Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  9. ↑ ex_1_part_1.pdf (PDF), retrieved 2018-04-23
  10. ↑ "Mauna Kea Sugar Archives". Hamakua Springs. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  11. ↑ "Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business" . Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  12. ↑ Russ Lynch (May 12, 2001). "C. Brewer to sell all its assets: The aging investors of the ex-"Big Five" firm saw it through rough times and now want to cash out". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  13. ↑ Tim Ruel (29 September 2002). "Profiles of the Big 5, then and now: C. Brewer & Co". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2005.
  14. ↑ "C. Brewer & Company, Limited". Business Registration Division web site. Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  15. ↑ "C. Brewer Chief Saw Beyond Sugar: He spearheaded the move toward diversified agriculture". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. May 21, 2006. Retrieved 2010-02-11.

Archives and records

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.