The Peoples Brewing Company was the first instance of African American ownership of a major
Wisconsin Brewery. The plant was started in 1911 by Henry J. Durler, and located in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin at 1506-1512 South Main Street. The brewery was sold to a group of African
American investors in 1970. This group, including Henry Crosby, consisted of the first, and
only, board of directors. This board dated from 1970-1972 and included Henry Crosby as well
as Ray Alexander, Louis Maxey, and Robert Peeble. Crosby, Alexander, Maxey, and the Peoples
Brewing Company president, Theodore Mack were also members of United Black Enterprises, an
organization that came out of the Northtown Planning and Development Council. This council
was connected to the Afro-Urban Institute, working as a Milwaukee ghetto non-profit group
that encouraged African American involvement in the economic community. This organization
had attempted to buy Blatz Brewing Company the year before, bidding $9,000,000 for the
operation. It was declined the summer of 1969, and sold to G. Heileman Brewing Company of La
Crosse for $10,750,000.
The Peoples Brewing Company was sold for a total of $365,000 with an additional $70,000
paid for the existing inventory. The purchase was facilitated by a $390,000 Small Business
Administration backed loan from Marshall and Ilsley Bank in Milwaukee on the condition that
the group raise an additional $200,000 for operating costs through stock sales. After the
stock sale, another building was purchased on Wright Street in Milwaukee to be used as the
headquarters.
While the plant was in operation, Peoples Brewing Company produced Wurtzer Beer, Old Derby
Ale, Peoples Beer, Chief Oshkosh, Rahr's, Badger, and Liebrau, and in 1971 purchased the
labels of the Oshkosh Brewing Company. It also made improvements on the existing company by
installing a new tapping system, palletized inventory, and canned its beer in pop top
cans.
Despite these changes and growth, by November 1972 Theodore Mack ceased production.
Discrimination and poor sales in Milwaukee, a $35,000 tax lien placed on the company by the
Internal Revenue Service, and a suit that Mack brought against the Small Business
Administration and the Defense Department seeking 100 million dollars in defense contracts
contributed to this decision. The equipment was subsequently sold by the Small Business
Administration to relieve the debt that was left by the closure. The sale provided only a
fraction of the market value of the equipment and an investigation of the Small Business
Administration and the Office of Minority Business Enterprises resulted.
Additional allegations, resulting from the inquiries, led to an investigation by August
Bequai of the Securities and Exchange Commission into payoffs made to retailers with the
intent that they would sell only a single beer product. Many clippings regarding this
investigation are included within this collection.
