ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTERDISCUSSION PAPER

No.149The Beginning of the Thai Beer Industry―The Establishment of the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd―by
Makoto Nambara

September 2004

ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTERSCHOOL OF ECONOMICSNAGOYA UNIVERSITYThe Beginning of the Thai Beer Industry∗―The Establishment of the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd―

Makoto Nambara†

Abstract
This article examines the beginning of the Thai beer industry in
the early 1930’s. I mainly focus on Phraya Phiromphakdi, the founderof the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd., which Phiromphakdi establishedin 1933.
There are several points to be examined in this article. Firstly, thefounder’s motivation is analyzed in terms of his entrepreneurship. It
is easy to imagine that starting the brewing industry was diﬃcult in
Thailand in the 1930’s. There were various problems for the brewing
industry such as capital, technology, machinery, and raw materials.
Why did Phraya Phiromphakdi decide to enter into the brewing business? Secondly, the alcohol market in Thailand during the 1920’s
and 1930’s is studied in order to reveal how Phraya Phiromphakdi exploited a business opportunity. Until 1933, the beer market had been
dominated by imported beer. The demand for other products suchas wine, whisky, brandy, and samshu (Chinese wine) is also carefully
examined in this article to find out why the alcohol industry shiftedin the early 1930’s from other spirits to beer. Thirdly, the brewing
industry is a business licensed by the government so negotiations withthe government were important in terms of deciding a liquor tax. Besides this tax, customs duties on raw materials and brewing machinery
aﬀected Phraya Phiromphakdi’s business seriously, thus getting permission with advantageous conditions was vital to him. Lastly, thisarticle compares early domestic beer production in the 1930’s to imported beer volume to ascertain if the Boonrawd Brewery Company
succeed in competing with the imported beer market.

JEL classification: N6∗

Visiting Research Fellow (From October 2001 to March 2002), Economic ReseachCenter, School of Economics, Nagoya University†
Associate Professor, Department of International Economics, Faculty of Economics,
Tokyo Keizai University. E-mail: mnambara@tku.ac.jp

The Beginning of the Thai Beer Industry ―The Establishment of
the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd―by
Makoto Nambara◆ Table of Contents ◆1. Introduction
2. The Beer Market in the Early 20th Century
3. Phraya Phirompakdi’s life
4. Petition from Phraya Piromphakdi to King
5. The Importation of Alcohol to Thailand
6. Popular Japanese Beer
7. Importers of Alcohol to Thailand
8. The Thai Government’s Response to Phraya Phiromphakdi’s Petition
9. Domestic Production Volume in the 1930’s
10. Start-Up Problems
11. The Beer Tax
12. Conclusion1◆ List of Tables, Charts, and Appendix ◆Table 1: Alcohol Import Volume to Thailand (1918/19-1940)
Table 2: Alcohol Import Values to Thailand (1918/19-1940)
Table 3: The Unit Price of Beer Import in the 1930’s
Table 4: Major Beer Import Countries/Region of Thailand 1927/28-1935/36
Table 5: Domestic Beer Production and Import Volume in Thailand 1933-1940
Table 6: Excise Receipts 1934-1935
Table 7: Excise Receipts 1936-1940
Chart 1: Alcohol Import Volume to Thailand during the 1920’s and 1930’s
Chart 2: Alcohol Import Values to Thailand during the 1920’s and 1930’s
Chart 3: The Trend of German, Japanese, and U.K’s Beer Import PriceAppendix 1: The Average Retail Price of Imported Alcohol 1914-1938
Appendix 2: The Customs Tariff 1927-1933
Appendix 3: The Alcohol Importer in Thailand in 1929
Appendix 4: The Importers of Wine & Spirit in Thailand in 1941
Appendix 5: The Alcohol (Beers, Ales & Stout) Importer in Thailand in 1941

2

1. Introduction

The purpose of this article is to examine Phraya Phiromphakdi’s motivation to
engage in the beer industry before 1932. In Thailand the political system changed froman absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy in 1932. The Boonrawd Brewery Co.,
Ltd, which Phraya Phitromphakdi established in 1933, is still famous and leading
company in Thailand today. In fact, until the mid 1990’s the company dominated thedomestic beer market with a high market share of approximately 90%. Now the
Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd is the second largest beer company.
First of all, I would like to introduce existing research regarding this company
and the Thai beer industry. Although there are several books and magazine articles forthis topic have appeared in Thailand recently, it can be said that neither a detailed
company history nor a Thai beer industry history has been written up to the present.
Although cremation books on the founder and his family provide valuable informationon their entrepreneurship and family business, it seems that statistical analysis including
beer importation in the 1930’s and the beer tax policy of the Thai government arenecessary to describe vividly the rapid expansion of the Thai beer industry. That is tosay, external factors including imported beer, and the importation of raw materials andinternal factors such as beer taxation and the Thai governmental policy should beconsidered.
Let us examine several existing cremation books and articles. Two cremation
books of Phraya Phiromphakdi and his son, Prachuap, and Phiromphakdi’s own dairy
give us vital information about their family and the beer business.1 They are useful tomake a chronological table of the family history as well as the family’s beer business. A
book on the Thai beer industry also provides detailed business information prior to
WWII.2 The weak points of these materials are their lack of statistical figures, including1

His cremation book is Phraya Phiromphakdi, Prawat Phraya Phiromphakdi kap Prawat Rong Bia (History of
Phraya Phiromphakdi and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok,1950. His dairy is Phraya Phiromphakdi,
Banthukpracamwan Kanthongthio khong Khaphacao (Diary of my travel), Bangkok, 1950. Prachuap’s cremation
book is Kitthung Pho (Thinking of father), Bangkok, 1992.
2
Prawat Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi Lae Prawat Rong Bia (The History of Chao
Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok, Ongkan Khru-Sapha,
1963.

3

profit/loss statements, and balance sheets of the company. Thus this makes it difficult tounderstand the Thai beer market situation before 1945. Since 1945, several articles andbooks have attempted to fill the gap on the Thai beer market before and after 1945.3
The Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd has published several anniversary reports and recently
the company’s history books were published in Thai.4 These materials are based on
cremation books. Compared with Japanese company history books, Thai company
history books lack comprehensive descriptions, including social history, food, culture,
tax and the company’s management figures.
There are several points to be examined in this article. Firstly, the founder’smotivation is analyzed in terms of his entrepreneurship. It is easy to imagine thatstarting the brewing industry was difficult in Thailand in the 1930’s. There were various
problems for the brewing industry such as capital, technology, machinery, and raw
materials. Why did Phraya Phiromphakdi decide to enter into the brewing business?
Secondly, the alcohol market in Thailand during the 1920’s and 1930’s is studied inorder to reveal how Phraya Phiromphakdi exploited a business opportunity. Until 1933,
the beer market had been dominated by imported beer. The demand for other products
such as wine, whisky, brandy, and samshu (Chinese wine) is also carefully examined inthis article to find out why the alcohol industry shifted in the early 1930’s from otherspirits to beer. Thirdly, the brewing industry is a business licensed by the government so
negotiations with the government were important in terms of deciding a liquor tax.
Besides this tax, customs duties on raw materials and brewing machinery affected
Phraya Phiromphakdi’s business seriously, thus getting permission with advantageousconditions was vital to him. Lastly, this article compares early domestic beer
production in the 1930’s to imported beer volume to ascertain if the Boonrawd Brewery
Company succeed in competing with the imported beer market.
2. The Beer Market in the Early 20th Century

In 1901, an article in the Bangkok Times Weekly Mail in 1901 reported thekinds of alcohol Thai people liked to drink at that time.5
It need hardly be said that Bangkok is a samshoo-drinking town ; ＄215,000 worth of that

3

“Prachuap Phirompahkdi : Naenon Khon Run-mai Yomdi kwa Run-kon”, Phunam Thurakit, October 1987.

4

Ruangyot Chantharakhiri, Thang Sing Phan, Yuk Samai, 1994. Thanawat Sapphaibun, Sing maichai khe Bia,
Dokya, 1998.
5“What Bangkok Drinks” the Bangkok Times Weekly Mail, 30 April 1901.

4spirit was imported last year, and there should be a good deal of it produced in Bangkok besides. But
dealing only with what may be termed farang drinks, the Custom House statistics show that we area beer drinking people. ……. Most of that beer is simply got up from Singapore, but where fuller
details are available it is Germany that leads, and Germany has a longer lead than perhaps mostpeople would have supposed. …. After beer the most popular drink is not whisky, nor is it wine – itis brandy, most of which, after Singapore, comes from Germany.

According to this article, it is understood that local people preferred to drink samshu
and foreigners liked to drink beer and brandy. Samshu, made from rice or millet in
China and imported from China, was quite popular among the Thai people.
Japanese consular reports analyzed the beer import market of Thailand in1905. According to this report, in terms of value major imported beer countries wereGermany, Singapore, Denmark and the UK. Among them, Germany was top, accounting
for 40% of the share in both of volume and value. The report reveals various marketing
points such as brand, price, bottle, import tariff, cost of landing and lighterage. It isinteresting to note that at that time two types of bottles, large and small, were imported.
Customs statistics, however, did not make a distinction between the sizes, thus making
it difficult to estimate the right numbers of bottles. The report also introduces two top
brands, Key-Beer from Germany and Ny Carlsberg beer from Denmark. At that time,the import tariff was a fixed 5% per ad valorem. The report refers to wholesale pricesof several brands such as Key-beer, Ny Carlsberg beer and Japanese Ebisu beer. They
were 22 baht per 1 box (4 dozen large bottles of beer) for Key-Beer and Ny Carlsberg
Beer, and 18 baht for Japanese Ebisu Beer. The Japanese consular report pointed out thedifference of market success and failure of Japanese Ebisu beer by establishing amarketing policy of not reducing priceNow let us examine the retail price of various kinds of alcohol in Thailand
from the mid 1910’s to 1938. Appendix 1 shows the trend of price differences between
highly priced champagne, whisky, brandy, and moderately priced beer and wine. It isdifficult to compare the prices strictly because of unit differences. It is clear that themain consumers of the above imported alcohol were foreign residents and a few upperclass Thai persons because these items were considered luxurious goods. In fact, thegeneral public could not afford to buy such expensive goods.
6

6“Shakokuniokeru bierhannbaijoukyou (Selling conditions of beer in Siam)” Tsushouisan,Dai71gou,
Meiji39nen11gatsu28nichi (November 28 ,1906), pp.3-5.

5

3. Phraya Phirompakdi’s life
Phraya Phiromphakdi (Boonrawd Setthabut) was born on October 13, 1872. As
can be seen from his autobiography7, his life was full of ups and downs. His life can bedivided into three parts; childhood and youth, various business careers before entering
the brewing industry and his main career in the brewing business.
First, let us look at Phraya Phiromphakdi’s childhood and youth. His father was
Phra Phiromphakdi (Chom Setthabut) and his mother was Ma Setthabut. His nameindicates that his family was conferred the rank of the nobility and the honorific namefrom the King. Phraya Phiromphakdi, whose original name was Boonrawd Setthabut,
was quite a bright child. On March 31, 1890 he was given a first prize with a reward of
150 baht from the royal family because he had had the best grades. The Ministry of
Morality (now Education) offered him a teacher’s position in 1890. After a while hetransferred to teach in another school for the poor. The schoolmaster was British, S.
Greenrod with whom Phraya Phiromphakdi had a disagreement in 1892. At that time,
Phraya Phiromphakdi made a decision to get a secretarial job in the Ministry of
Morality but S. Greenrod did not allow him to resign from the school. In the end Phraya
Phiromphakdi gave up the governmental job and left the school.
His career as a merchant began by working for Kim Seng Lee Company in1893. The company owned by Teng Sophanodon engaged in teak trade, rice milling andsawmilling. He worked as a clerk with a monthly salary of 25 baht. He was engaged in
the export-import business, and worked as an interpreter by using his competent English
ability. It was important for him to absorb various business experiences at Kim Seen
Lee Company. In 1897, in order to improve his career, he changed his job to work for
the Denny Mott & Dickson owned by A.J. Dickson. Phraya Phiromphakdi worked forthe western company as an interpreter and later acted for his master. His monthly salarystarted from 50 baht, three months later it became 75 baht, and eventually reached 140
baht. He resigned from the company in 1921.
Now let have a look at his family life. He married Lamai in 1898. After several

7

Prawat Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Piromphakudi Lae Prawat Rong Bia (The History of Chao
Phraya Woraphongphiphat, Phraya Piromphakudi and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok, Ongkan Khru-Sapha,
1963.

6

years of marriage, his wife gave birth twice but the offsprings died soon after birth.
Hence they adopted Wit, the son of Phiromphakdi’s brother. Their first-born son,
Prachuap, was born on January 2, 1912. Prachuap played an important role in his
father’s brewing business as a successor.8
Phraya Phiromphakdi started in the timber trade business in 1904, with support
from the owner of Kim Seen Lee Company. He made his first overseas business trip to
Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Japan in 1905. He did not succeed
in selling enough teak timber in Japan. He often visited foreign countries on business. In
1908, he went to London and Manchester in the United Kingdom. His businessexpanded into the British automobile agency in Thailand as a result of this trip.
His business reached a turning point when he started a ferry business at the
Chao Phraya River with Phra Sophon Pecharathana (Ki Sophanotara) and Tidyu in
1910.9 With a total capital of 36,000 baht (12,000 baht per investor) they purchased two
ferryboats in order to start the business. In 1913, this business expanded with theestablishment of Ban Luan Co., Ltd an initial capital investment of 100,000 baht.
Phraya Phiromphakdi was appointed as president of the company. In the ferry businessthe competitions was severe, and in 1928 the government announced a plan to constructa bridge at the Chao Phraya River. Because of this, Phraya Phiromphakdi had to findanother business. In 1929, he visited Sumatra in order to consider the feasibility of thetobacco and sugarcane business. He finally decided to enter the brewing business. In
1932, he went to Europe for the purpose of purchasing brewing machinery.
Now let us move on and see how Phraya Phiromphakdi was conferred the rankof nobility and the honorific name from the King. He became the member of the Sua Pa
in 1911. In 1912, he was given title of Luang and the honorific name of Phakdi. In 1917,
he received the title of Phra and he was called Phra Phakdi. On January 1, 1925 hebecame Phraya Phiromphakdi. At that time it is well known that several times he madecontributions to put out fires at the riverside rice mills and warehouses using his
company’s boats that had fire pumps.

8

See his life and business in his cremation book. Khit Tung Pho (Thinking of father), Bangkok, 1992.
Prawat Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Piromphakudi Lae Prawat Rong Bia (The History of Chao
Phraya Woraphongphiphat ,Phraya Piromphakudi and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok, Ongkan Khru-Sapha,
1963, p.155.
97

4. Petition from Phraya Piromphakdi to King
Phraya Piromphakdi submitted a petition regarding the beer business to theKing on February 17, 1931. This petition can be found in the Thai National Archives.10
This document shows Phraya Pirom’s motivation to engage in the beer business so its
main points will be summarized in this section.
First of all, Phraya Piromphakdi made the point that beer import value andvolume to Thailand was large by showing trade statistics from 1926 to 1929. Heemphasized that domestic beer production would save up to 80% of foreign imports andsave money. Though importing raw materials such as hops, malt and bottles wasnecessary，the possibility of domestic production of malt and hops in north Thailand in
the future might pave the way to reduce imports.11
He emphasized three good points for brewing beer in Thailand; by not mixing
chemicals, sanitary safety to consumers would be maintained, selling domestic beer wascheaper than selling imported beer; by employing Thai people and utilizing domestic
raw materials such as broken rice instead of malt, and water, would have a positive
impact on the Thai economy. He had a plan to register a limited company with a capitalof 500,000 baht. At that time there were several problems to engage in the Thai brewing
industry in terms of securing raw materials such as wheat, malt, hops, imported
machinery, brewing technology, and capital. How did he overcome these difficulties?
The document of Thai National Archives shows his dependence on a foreigner and aforeign trading house.
On December 9, 1929, Phraya Phiromphakdi made a contract with the managerof the German company, Paul Pickenpack, to consider beer bidding to the Thaigovernment. According to the Commercial Directory for Siam in 1929, which was
published by the Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Paul Picckenpack was a
German company with headquarters in Hamburg. The firm imported items to Thailand
including beer, wine, spirits, cars and trucks for railways and tramways, electrical goods
and apparatus, machine belting of all kinds, canned milk, machinery of all sorts, and

10

R7.RL.20.3/7. N.A.

11

The Boonrawd Brewery started wheat plantation in Chiang Rai in 1984. In 1988 Chiang Mai Malt factory wasestablished.

8

photographic goods.12 Once Phraya Phiromphakdi and Paul Pickenpack could succeedin their bidding to the Thai government, they would establish a joint-venture company
with 75% of the capital from Phiromphakdi, 25% from Paul Pickenpack. Phraya
Phiromphakdi‘s role in the business was to manage and engage in selling while Paul
Pickenpack was responsible for fitting machinery, technology and hiring experts. Thus
the document shows that in 1929, Phraya Phiromphakdi was fully dependent on aforeign partner for technology and production, and partially for capital.
Now let us look at his 500,000 baht investment plan. The initial production
capacity of the plant was 10,000 hectoliter for the first stage and it was planned toincrease up to 30,000 at most.
The plan in 1929
Land about 1,250 tarangwa (5,000 square meter)
Plant construction
Machinery (boiling machine, boiler, electricity, chimney)
Machinery (ice machine for cooling 30 tons of beer)
Beer cooling storage room
Beer bottles, compressor, bottle washing machine
TrucksWater main, road construction in factory
Machinery repair tools
Construction reserve
Business reserve
Total

25,000100,000
160,000
60,00035,00025,00012,00010,0005,000
20,00048,000500,000

baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht
baht

(Source) R.7.RL20.3/7. N. A, [Khrongkan tang Borisat]
This plan indicates that the brewing industry was a capital-intensive investment
and machinery accounted for large portion of the total investment. At that time there
was a few modern manufacturing industry in Thailand except for the Siam Cement Co.,
Ltd. The Siam Cement Co., Ltd was established in 1913 with capital of 1 million baht.
Since the Privy Purse Bureau invested 50% of capital, Phraya Piromphakdi’s plan wasconsidered a large investment at that time.
12

Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Bangkok, Commercial Directory for Siam 1929 Third Edition,
pp.160-1.

95. The Importation of Alcohol to Thailand
The trend in importing alcohol to Thailand during the inter-war period isbriefly examined in this section to reveal Phraya Phiromphakdi’s motivation to enter
into the beer brewing industry. In other words, the relationship between beer importduring the 1920’s and 1930’s in Thailand and Phraya Phiromphakdi’s decision to invest
in the beer industry is carefully examined.
Table 1 and 2 show the import values and volume of various forms of alcoholto Thailand during the inter-war period. It is important to note that the statistics from
customs before 1922/23 represent figures into the Bangkok port and those statistics after
1923/24 include other ports of Thailand.
Table 1 shows import volume. Up to 1930/31 samshu (Chinese wine)
dominated alcohol importing, followed by brandy and beer (See Chart 1).

Table 1

Alcohol Import Volume to Thailand(1918/19−1940)(Unit: liter)

Beer

SamshuWine

BrandyWhiskyOthersYear

Volume Volume

VolumeVolumeVolume Volume

1918/19

336,070

58,096

81,20485,399934,412

1919/20

295,016

39,38451,704

42,5891,135,098 275,818

1920/21302,265

76,283

130,51785,0381,004,159 171,199

1921/22244,326

76,526

112,772 125,135

1,754,692 185,798

1922/23356,298

93,520177,596 160,219

2,197,349 169,483

10

13,383

1923/24

376,419

87,596424,549 148,790

2,510,465 244,652

1924/25

527,446 104,725

560,065 184,922

2,304,395 280,746

1925/26

421,283

839,975 180,808

2,171,886 223,032

1926/27

689,879 109,920 1,056,898 183,469

1,824,024 315,234

1927/28

625,328

82,171

756,850 182,660

1,426,739

1928/29

840,657

93,855805,755 237,972

1,160,642 179,923

1929/30

799,792 112,573

803,364 246,056

1,120,707 199,009

1930/31884,672

91,408643,648 260,059

766,995 164,949

1931/32

1,322,397

74,90521,501

61,409318,410

61,2891932/33

1,089,306

46,70016,20865,119333,10953,735

1933/34

1,437,797

65,592

25,171

77,959332,607

51,346

1934/35

1,323,201

68,40428,605 105,587

397,816

57,624

1935/36

1,355,435

75,13040,666 115,469

404,497

71,124

1936/37

1,691,853 122,306

52,905 136,972

472,165

69,8801937/38

1,083,860

82,35850,294 152,627

445,471

26,797

1938/39

956,904 109,312

42,381 147,254

496,216

26,1391939/40974,084

51,924

56,102 186,184

544,553

22,003

1940

784,105

29,78932,398 137,872

440,100

11,60098,456

97,042

Before 1922/23, the figures represent imports into the Bangkok port only.
After1923/24, the figures include imports into other ports of Thailand.
(Source) Until 1922/23 the Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok,
Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Port of Bangkok,
various years.
Since 1923/24 the Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok,
Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam,various years. From 1923/24 to 1927/28, The Department of Customs andExcise, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigationof the Kingdom of Siam Year 2471 (April 1928 to March 1929), p.142.

11

Chart 1 Alcohol Import Volume to Thailand during the(Unit : liter)
1920's and 1930's
3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000Beer Volume

Wine Volume

Brandy Volume

Whisky Volume

Samshu Volume

Others Volume

1940

1938/39

1936/37

1934/35

1932/33

1930/31

1928/29

1926/27

1924/25

1922/23

1920/21

1918/190Note: Same as Table 1.
(Source) Same as Table 1.

Table 2

Alcohol Import Values to Thailand (1918/19-1940)(Unit: baht)
Beer

Wine

BrandyWhiskySamshuOthers

Year

Value

Value

Value

Value

Value

Value

1918/19

305,788 142,045

308,855 266,777

1919/20

253,343

151,725 123,736 1,043,444 148,693

1920/21276,323 167,658

87,238

380,845 226,616

12

517,845

61,017

787,843 175,309

1921/22

172,237 150,889

320,437 334,787 1,018,133 108,252

1922/23

257,272 164,745

389,765 436,906 1,184,832 104,949

1923/24

251,763 137,369

668,691 444,849 1,377,651 104,389

1924/25

331,270 166,648

874,136 525,632 1,243,428 143,715

1925/26

279,745 150,656 1,062,737 465,284 1,204,992 122,555

1926/27

434,197 173,069 1,345,662 480,515 1,034,657 172,259

1927/28

391,555 148,512 1,009,225 456,511

863,480

1928/29504,000 143,837 1,012,809 622,994

725,990 241,724

1929/30

465,463 176,980 1,043,039 665,031

748,507 387,080

1930/31475,234 134,577

842,586 727,429

479,564 344,169

1931/32

558,682

94,56048,300 178,910

193,239 170,348

1932/33

360,923

65,15747,672 194,893

214,238 133,710

1933/34

373,371

78,68367,759 211,948

222,961 170,519

1934/35

325,583

84,042

87,461 266,638

261,447 186,574

1935/36

336,478 102,495

95,945 261,980

253,038 218,563

1936/37

426,855 115,293

132,416 334,922

337,334 211,159

1937/38

350,151

96,736

127,044 365,925

346,195

69,771

1938/39

347,304 107,823

107,741 414,349

384,645

67,326

1939/40

354,086

77,218132,766 546,617

350,050

78,642

1940

307,625

47,70263,605 455,222

309,997

47,52076,081

Note: Same as Table 1.
(Source) Same as Table 1.From 1923/24 to 1927/28, The Department of
Customs and Excise, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade andNavigation of the Kingdom of Siam Year 2471 (April 1928 to March 1929),
p.143.

13

Chart 2 Alcohol Import Values to Thailand during the 1920’s and 1930’s(Unit: baht)

1600000
1400000
1200000
Beer Value
Wine Value
Brandy Value
Whisky Value
Samshu Value
Others Value

1000000
8000006000004000002000001939/40

1937/38

1935/36

1933/34

1931/32

1929/30

1927/28

1925/26

1923/24

1921/22

1919/20Year

0

Note: Same as Table 1.
(Source) Same as Table 1.
The customs tariff revisions on alcohol were frequently in force during the141920’s and 1930’s, and their implementation seriously affected the import situation (SeeAppendix 2). For example, 1931 was a turning point for various alcohol imports.
The end of January in 1931, the specific tax on brandy, whisky, rum and gin was
raised from 2.5 baht for 1 liter to 5 baht. At the end of October during that same year,
two types of tariffs, an ad valorem duty and the specific tax (the higher rate wascharged) were imposed on beer. In other words, the ad valorem duty on beer wasincreased from 12% to 30%, and the specific tax was 15 satan for 1 liter. On March 4,
1933, the ad valorem duty on beer was raised again from 30% to 33.33%. These various
raises on alcohol imports were put into operation in order to counter the effect of theworld depression to Thailand.
Beer import volume drastically increased in 1931/32 and took first place
among various alcohol imports. On the other hand, import volume of samshu, whisky,brandy and wine in 1931/32 decreased seriously. They fell 58%, 76%, 97%, 18%
respectively, compared with their 1930/31 levels.
In terms of import value, brandy and samshu were major imports until 1930/31.
Brandy imports increased drastically from 1919/20 and peaked in 1926/27. The
samshu’s peak came in 1923/24. Alcohol imports, brandy, whisky, samshu and wine
decreased seriously in 1931/32. They fell 94%, 75%, 60%, 30% respectively, comparedwith their 1930/31 levels. It is important to notice that only beer increased (18%.).
The customs tariff revisions in 1931 clearly were factors behind the serious
decline of alcohol import volume and value. Firstly, beer came to top alcohol imports in
1931/32 in both volume and value. Other items, such as whisky and brandy fell in bothvolume and value, and samshu decreased in value.
6. Popular Japanese Beer
During the 1930’s, the increase of beer import volume was sustained by adecrease of import unit price. In the past, expensive German beer dominated the importmarket. On the contrary during the 1930’s, Japanese beer positively came into themarket in order to compete with German beer. In fact, in 1930/31 the Japanese beer
share of the import volume and value was 33% and 23%, compared with the Germanbeer volume and value of 28% and 27% respectively. The Japanese consular report
reveals that firstly Japanese beer had the advantage of the lowest price among the four
countries of Japan, British, Denmark and Germany in terms of import unit price;secondly, the recent import tariff revision on beer increased the low price Japanesebeer’s competitiveness against expensive European beer; thirdly, almost all brands of15

Japanese beer, such as Asahi, Sapporo, Union and Sakura, entered the Thai market.13
Now let us look at Table 3 and Chart 3. These show the trend of British,
German and Japanese imported beer price per liter during the 1930’s. Though British
beer maintained high price and German beer had its mid-price, Japanese beer continued
to keep quite a low price. For example, in 1936/37 the Japanese beer price was 26 % of
the British price, and 45 % of the German price.
There were three types of import tariff on alcohol, beer, wine, and others
including brandy, whisky, rum and gin. Until 1930 an ad valorem duty was adopted onbeer and wine, and specific duty was imposed on brandy and whisky. In the 1930’s
specific duty was also imposed on beer and wine.
Table 3

The Unit Price of Beer Import in the 1930’s(Unit: baht per 1 liter)
1930/31

1931/32

1932/33

1933/34

1934/35

1935/36

1936/37

Japan

0.37

0.34

0.24

0.18

0.19

0.19

0.2

U.K.

0.8

0.6

0.51

0.72

0.84

0.88

0.76

Germany

0.52

0.48

0.47

0.43

0.43

0.39

0.44

(Source) Calculated and made by Table 1 and Table 2.

13“Shamushijouniokeru Nihonshouhinnnochii (sonoyo) (Japanese products position in Siamese market) (no.4))”,
kaigakikeizaijijou (Japanese consular report), dai5nendai42gou (5th year42volume)Shouwa7nen10gatsu24kahaxtukou(published October 24, 1932).

16

Chart 3 The Trend of German, Japanese, and U.K's
Beer Import Price(Unit : baht per 1 liter)

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1936/37

1935/36

1934/35

1933/34

1932/33

1931/32

1930/31

Japan
U.K.
Germany(Source) Calculated and made by Table 1 and Table 2.

The beer import volume peaked in 1936/37 and this figure is 1.9 times higher
than that of 1930/31 when the import tariff on alcohol was raised severely. However, thevalue decreased 10% in the same period. This indicates that rapid increase of beer
import volume was achieved with a low import unit price. This brought about adramatic change in the list of countries that imported beer. That is to say, German beer
volume declined seriously and Japanese beer volume increased rapidly. In fact, the twocountries competed furiously from 1930/31 to 1932/33 (See Table 4). However from
1934/35, German disappeared from the list of the top 5 countries. On the contrary from
1931/32, Japan became the country on the top of the list that imported beer.

17

Table 4 Major Beer Import Countries/Region of Thailand 1927/28〜1935/36(Unit: Volume,liter, Value,baht)
1927/28

1927/28

VolumeValue

1 Germany

217,360

121,531

1 Germany

326,833

179,024

2 U.K.

97,86280,242

2 U.K.

123,446

90,087

3 Denmark136,496

68,434

3 Denmark151,765

80,442

4 Penang

59,984

63,6804 Penang

71,007

69,6985 Singapore

25,676

21,1325 Netherlands

89,162

46,379Subtotal

537,378

355,019

Subtotal

762,213465,630

Total

625,328

391,555

Total

840,657

504,000

1929/30

1929/30

VolumeValue

1 Germany

262,467

134,526

1 Germany

245,390

126,542

2 U.K.

110,892

91,6532 Japan

288,451

106,918

3 Denmark162,61079,885

3 U.K.

91,69973,326

4 Penang

63,59667,896

4 Denmark119,205

62,823

5 Netherlands

101,21151,7205 Penang

49,24854,988Subtotal

700,776425,680

Subtotal

793,993424,597

Total

799,792

465,463

Total

884,672

475,234

1931/32

1931/32

VolumeValue

1 Japan

716,302247,099

1 Japan

634,887

149,389

2 Germany

268,322

127,944

2 Germany

118,335

55,906

3 U.K.

121,31773,321

3 U.K.

70,89636,454

4 Denmark89,054

41,4504 Denmark68,47929,3095 Penang

30,782

29,954

5 Penang

23,66020,734

Subtotal

1,225,777

519,768

Subtotal

916,257

291,792

Total

1,322,397

558,682

Total

1,089,306

360,923

Country/Region

Country/Region

Country/Region

Country/Region

Country/Region

Country/Region

18

1928/29

1928/29

VolumeValue

1930/31

1930/31

VolumeValue

1932/33

1932/33

VolumeValue

1933/34

1933/34

1934/35

1934/35

VolumeValue

VolumeValue

1 Japan

1,035,821

191,489

1 Japan

1,014,346

192,020

2 Denmark99,99542,907

2 Singapore

88,67134,8043 Singapore

88,53532,7713 Denmark61,582

26,077

4 U.K.

39,01527,987

4 U.K.

20,855

17,5155 Germany

52,795

22,9575 China

61,822

17,001

Subtotal

1,316,161

318,111

Subtotal

1,247,276

287,417

Total

1,437,797

373,371

Total

1,323,201

325,583

1935/36

1935/36

VolumeValue

1 Japan

1,011,752

196,176

2 Singapore

139,861

54,164

3 U.K.

22,72320,0664 China

64,49017,671

5 Penang

30,33815,975

Subtotal

1,269,164

304,052

Total

1,355,435

336,478

Country/Region

Country/Region

Country/Region

Note: The fiscal year starts from April to March. The ranking is based on import value.
（Source）The Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok, Annual Statement of

the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam, various years.

Now let us examine the retail price of imported alcohol in the 1930’s.
Appendix 1 shows the various brands price per quarter bottle. It is evident that brandy,
whisky and champagne were expensive compared with beer and wine. Among thevarious alcohol imports, beer was the cheapest and its price in 1931/32 was 24%, 8%,8.5%, 8% of wine, brandy, whisky “Dewar’s No.1”, Champagne “Pomme & Greno”
respectively. It is clear that beer price became more attractive in terms of retail price inthe 1930’s. This change was brought about by the government’s decision to increaseimport tariff on alcohol in the early 1930’s. In other words, beer became more popular19

among the Thai upper and middle classes.

7. Importers of Alcohol to Thailand
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Communication’s 1929 third
edition of the Commercial Directory for Siam, there were 51 alcohol importers in
Thailand. There were 14 Siamese firms, 9 British firms, 2 Dutch firms, 2 German firms,
2 Swiss firms, 1 French firm, 1 Italian firm, 1 Japanese firm, and 19 non-registeredfirms. Among the 51 importers, most of them (47 firms) imported three types of alcohol,
beer, wine and other spirits. However, in 1941, the number of importer decreased to 12
beer importers and 26 wine & spirit importers. Among the 12 beer importers only threefirms, the Anglo-Thai Corp., Ltd, Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, Ltd and the Oriental Stores,
Ltd, were listed in 1929. This means that 9 new beer importers appeared in 1941 (Seeimporters in 1929 in Appendix 3 and 1941 in Appendix 4 and 5).

8. The Thai Government’s Response to Phraya Phiromphakdi’s Petition
There were several main issues of negotiation between the Thai government
and Phraya Phiromphakdi. These issues were taxes, such as beer tax, import tariff on
raw materials, and brewing machinery. In addition, it appears that it was necessary for
private business to get support from the government in terms of tax, capital andpermission. At that time there were three key players in the negotiation: the King, theMinistry of Finance, and Phraya Phiromphakdi. Let examine the progress of thenegotiations by Thai National Archive documents (R7.RL20.3/7).
On January 8, 1931, Phraya Phiromphakdi submitted a request to the Ministryof Finance to set up a brewing factory. On January 12th, he met the Minister of Financeand he was told that the beer tax was 63 satan per liter.14 Later, on February 17th, hesubmitted a petition to the King.
On March 12th he received a letter from the liquor tax department of the
Ministry of Finance. Included with this letter from the liquor tax department, was a

14

Prawat Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi Lae Prawat Rong Bia (The History of Chao
Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi, and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok, Ongkan
Khru-Sapha, 1963, p.211.

20

copy of a letter dated March 7th by the Minister of Finance, File number 252/27268.15
According to this letter, the Minister of Finance was in favor of Phraya Phiromphakdi’splan because it would foster the domestic industry and save foreign currency. At thesame time the Minister also expressed his concern about producing beer in such a hot
country like Thailand and of introducing a beer tax.
On March 26th Phraya Phiromphakdi replied to the liquor tax department withhis brewing plan. In his letter to the Minister of Finance, he asked for a cheaper beer tax
rate than the import tariff, and also pointed out that domestic beer production was
already being carried out in hot weather regions like Saigon, Hanoi and the Philippines.
He also reported that a sample of Bangkok drinking water had been sent to a German
University in Munich to check for quality, and that the water quality was guaranteed.
The Minister of Finance, Phraya Komarakun, wrote a letter to Chaophraya
Mahiton, the Secretary General. In this letter the liquor tax department reported that
Phraya Phiromphakdi had requested two things: reducing the beer tax to 12% of theselling price, and exclusive rights, that is to say not approving to a competitor. The
Ministry of Finance did not agree with his two requests by pointing out that Phraya
Phiromphakdi lacked machinery, technology and technical experts. The Ministry also
showed a willingness to consider the project in spite of its several problems if the King
would approve it.
Phraya Phiromphakdi met the Minster of Finance at the Ministry of Finance on
August 19, 1931. At that meeting, the Minister asked Phraya Phiromphakdi to submit amachinery plan, since machinery of this type had not been imported in Thailand before
so that he could establish an import tariff on the machinery. He also suggested that
Phraya Phiromphakdi tour and inspect a beer factory in Indochina at Phiromphakdi’s
expense, for the purpose of importing and fixing this machinery in his factory.
Phraya Phiromphakdi went to Indochina with an engineer from Paul
Phickenpack on August 25th. He visited the beer factory in the outskirts of Saigon city
on August 28th. He was fortunate to obtain a photo and picture of the factory, its
machinery, and the machinery plan on his second visit to the factory. During this visit,
he made a 16mm film of the factory.
After coming back to Thailand, he made an inspection report to the Minister ofFinance on September 7th. In this report he emphasized that in Indochina, the beerindustry was deregulated no license was required, there was no beer tax on domestic

15

R7.RL20.3/7. N.A.

21

beer, no inspection required from a government officer, and a low import tariff of 2%
on machinery.
On November 27th the head of the liquor tax department informed Phraya
Phiromphakdi of the King’s message. There were three points to the King’s message;
first, the Ministry of Finance approved of a non-monopolistic beer production; second,
it would be possible to use the Saigon beer factory’s plan in Thailand; third, theMinistry of Finance decided on a beer tax 15 satan per liter or 30 % of ad valorem duty
(whichever was the higher rate). This rate was equal to the import tariff on beer. On thenext day, however Phraya Phiromphakdi was informed that the beer tax would be
reduced to 12 satan per liter.
The negotiations over the beer tax were crucial for Phraya Phiromphakdi tocarry out the project. He explained the reasons and difficulties in his letter to Momchao
Chitpotawi of the liquor department on November 30th. He pointed out that unlike the
manufacturing industry, the brewing industry required an extended period of time toprepare the raw materials, and to filter, boil, cool and store the beer. Using broken ricefor raw materials more than 50% used lots of capital and time. He also pointed out thatthese already existed various governmental supports, such as tax reductions inneighboring countries. In the end Phraya Phiromphakdi asked for a three year tax
exemption on the beer he would produce and an exemption on the import tariff of thebrewing machinery, and showed a willingness to pay the beer tax after the pass three
years had passed.
During the negotiations it is assumed that the King played an important role. In
the absolute monarchy it was considered important to get support from the King. Phraya
Phiromphakdi had several occasions to meet the King for the purpose of explaining his
business plan. The King showed an interest in his plan because it supported thedevelopment of the domestic manufacturing industry. On December 13th Phraya
Phiromphakdi told the King about his visit to the beer factory in Saigon. The King
showed his willingness to support Phraya Phiromphakdi’s plan because of the foreignexchange savings and also advised that he import new brewing machinery instead ofused in spite of its more expensive price.
On January 22, 1932, Phraya Phiromphakdi met the head of the liquor
department. This official read the King’s letter and informed Phraya Phiromphakdi thatthe beer tax was decided at 1 satan for the first year, 3 satan for the second year, and 5
satan for the third year. After the third year, the government would reconsider what thebeer tax and a percentage of alcohol would be. The rate of tax was considered quite
cheap compared with 15 satan per liter or 30 % of ad valorem import tariff of beer that22

was originally proposed at the end of October in 1931. On February 10, 1932, Phraya
Phiromphakdi submitted a petition to establish his beer company to the King, withrequest for financing from the Privy Purse Bureau.
In the letter dated March 12, 1932, from the Minister of Finance to Chaophraya
Mahiton, the secretary general, the Minister of Finance revealed the Ministry’s view on
Phraya Phiromphakdi. This letter reported that Phraya Phiromphakdi was concerned
about a future beer tax increase and also asked that the percentage of alcohol indomestic beer be the same as that of imported beer.
The Ministry of Finance was concerned that the beer tax established may be too
low to cover expenses, therefore future beer tax would have to be determined andreconsidered at the appropriate time. There was no need to reduce the beer tax if
domestic beer production would bring about lots of profit. The Ministry also indicatedthat imported beer paid insurance and freight. Regarding the percentage of alcohol,
imported beer sold in Thailand contained about 7 % alcohol. In Europe there wassome beer that contained 12 〜 15 % alcohol. The Ministry would not allow
producing beer with the alcohol content as high as the European ones, and permitted
Phraya Phiromphakdi to brew at 7 %.
Phraya Phiromphakdi went to Europe to inspect a brewing factory on May 18th.
During his stay in Germany, he heard about the constitutional revolution that took placein Thailand. He decided to continue to stay in Europe. He made a contract for thepurchase and installation of machinery with the Miag Co., Ltd in Hamburg on
September 23th. After returning to Thailand on October 29th, he had to renegotiate hisbusiness plan with the new government because the political system had changed.

9.

Domestic Production Volume in the 1930’s

Even though Phraya Phiromphakdi had to renegotiate his plan with the new
government after 1932, his plan was accepted. In the end, beer tax was decided at 10
satan per liter.
Now let us examine Boonrawd Brewery’s domestic production volume from1933. The Report of the Financial Adviser in Connection with the Budget of theKingdom of Siam and the Japanese consular report referred to domestic beer production
several times.
According to Minamishinaoyobinanyoujouhou, the Boonrawd Brewery Co.,Ltd was established in April 1933 and the company started to collect stockholders from23

April 17th. In May, the construction of plant was begun and in March 1934 thecompany started brewing. On July 6th the official opening ceremony was held and 300
guests were invited, including the regent.16 It also reported that the company had a
production capacity per day of 30,000 bottles, and spent 218,274 baht and 425,250 baht
for construction and machinery, respectively.
There were two brands, “Golden Kite” and “Singha” and they had their initialsale was began on June 9, 1934, according to the Japanese consular report. The retailprice of the upper brand “Golden Kite” was 70 satan per bottle and the wholesale priceper 1 box was 24 baht.
The British report by the Department of Overseas Trade also made a report on
the domestic beer company as follows.17
The venture has apparently been successful and the brewery now markets in Siam threebrands of beer, the best of which compares favorably in quality and price with the European or
Malayan product, and the cheapest of which may supersede the very widely drunk Japanese beer.
The plant is said to have a capacity of 30,000 bottles a day and negotiations are now being made forexport to Malaya, Burma and other neighboring territories.

The domestic production brought about a rapid beer market in Thailand. Let us
look at the Thai beer market in terms of volume from the Report of the Financial
Adviser in connection with the Budget of the Kingdom of Siam.
Table 5 shows that domestic production in 1934 accounted for over 40% of thebeer consumed. This means that inexpensive and moderate quality domestic beer could
survive and compete with imported beer, thus enlarging the Thai beer market. It is
important to note that in 1935 domestic production was greater than the import volume,and domestic market share was 60% in 1940 when the total market declined.
The total market volume began to increase from 1934 to 1936. The volume in1936 was almost double that of the import volume in 1933.

16“Boonrawdbierkaishaiyoiyokaigyo (Boonrawd Brewery Co.,Ltd opens at last)” Minamishinaoyobinanyoujouhou,
Dai4nendai16gou, Shouwa9nen8gatsu15nichi(August 5, 1934), p.38.
17
Department of Overseas Trade, Economic Conditions in Siam at the close of 1934, No.607, London, 1935, p.20.
24

Table 5

Domestic Beer Production and Import Volume in Thailand 1933-1940(Unit: liter)

Year

1933

1934

1935

Domestic production

0

953,173

1,621,570(Share: %)

(0)

(42)

(54)

1,437,797

1,323,201

1,355,435

(100)

(58)

(46)

1,437,797

2,276,374

2,977,005

(100)

(100)

(100)

Import(Share: %)Total(Share: %)
Year

1936

Domestic production

1,395,145

1,372,404

1,339,777

(45)

(56)

(58)

1,691,853

1,083,859

956,904

(55)

(44)

(42)

3,086,998

2,456,263

2,296,681

(100)

(100)

(100)

(Share: %)Import(Share: %)Total(Share: %)

1937

1938

Year

1939

Domestic production

1,424,521

1,174,022

(59)

(60)

975,542784,105

(41)

(40)

2,400,063

1,958,127

(100)

(100)

(Share: %)Import(Share: %)Total(Share: %)1940

Note: Production volume was levied an excise tax. The law regarding beer was
legislated as the excise tax law in B.E.2476 (1933) and beer tax was decided at 10 satan
per liter. Alcohol content of beer was fixed to be not more than 7%. Import volume of1933 is cited from Table 1.
(Source) Office of the Financial Adviser, Report of the Financial Adviser in connection
with the Budget of the Kingdom of Siam for the Year B.E.2480 (1937-1938), p.19.
Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with the Budget of the Kingdom ofThailand for the Half-Year 1st April to 30th September B.E.2482 (1939) and the Year
B.E.2482-2483 (1939-1940), p.28. Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with25

the Budget of the Kingdom of Thailand for the Intercalary Year 1st October B.E.2482(1939) to the 31st December B.E.2483 (1940) and the Year B.E. 2484 (1941),p.23.
The Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd encountered serious troubles during WWII
because of its heavy dependence on imported raw materials. According to Prachuap’scremation book, the company lacked malt from Germany because of the war and thisput the company that employed more than 500 in a critical situation. When Phraya
Phiromphakdi passed away, the company had more than one million baht debt. When
Prachuap became president of the company, he promised it would recover in 3 years. It
recovered within a year and a half.18
10. Start-Up Problems
The National Archives documents show that the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd
encountered several problems during the 1930’s. The letter from Phraya Thepahasadin,
director of the company, and M.P., to Luang Tamarongnawasawadi, Secretary-Generalof the Cabinet, dated on September 26, 1935, revealed that cheap and bad quality
imported beer by Thailand competed with the company’s beer.19 He pointed out that theimported beer used for their trademark pictures of Thailand’s three famous ministers,
namely Phraya Phahon, Luang Pradit and Luang Phibun. He asked the government toinvestigate. The cabinet meeting report held on October 4, 1935 reveals that these three
ministers were not aware of the situation and had not granted permission to use their
pictures.
Regarding the beer tax, the company faced a tax refund problem. According
to a National Archives document, the cabinet meeting on September 9, 1935 considered
this issue.20 The company maintained that their beer did not use any preservatives or
chemicals so that it was difficult to keep beer for more than two months. If the selling
agents did continue to sell bad quality beer after keeping it for more than two months,
the consumers would not buy the company’s beer. Therefore the company had to accept
bad quality beer in exchange for new beer. The point was that the company asked for
the Excise Department to refund the beer tax which the company had already paid. The
Excise Department asked for the cabinet meeting to discuss this matter. The cabinet
meeting concluded that there was no legal act that made it possible to refund the tax.
18
19
20

Kittung Pho (Thinking of father), Bangkok, 1992.
S.R.0201.23/10.N.A.
S.R.0201.23/10.N.A.

26

Another big problem for the company was its trademark. The letter from
Phraya Phiromphakdi, President of the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd to Luang
Phibunsongkhram, the Prime Minister, dated on September 23, 1940 revealed how thecompany had to deal with this matter.21 In this letter Phraya Phiromphakdi explainedthat the company’s beer trademark, a lion, had been selected from 2000 entries for acontest in Thailand. The first prize of 1000 baht was given to the lion entry from Chiang
Mai.
The trademark problem was regarding the specific logo printed on the glass
bottles. As the Boonrawd Brewery started to produce soft drinks, the firm purchased
specific bottles with the lion logo. The problem was that Fraser & Neave, a competitor,
used the lion in its company’s logo. According to the Commercial Directory for Siam
1929, Fraser & Neave Ltd was listed as an importing firm in Bangkok and its imported
goods were mineral & aerated waters.22 This company, established in Singapore in
1873, is a multinational company.23 Fraser & Neave Ltd sued the Boonrawd BreweryCo., Ltd for infringement in the use of the forged lion logo. The Supreme Court ruled infavor of the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd.
The letter from the Vice-Minister of Economic Affairs to the Secretary-Generalrelayed Phraya Phiromphakdi’s complaint about the company’s trademark.24 At thattime, there were two trademark laws, one for business passed in B.E. 2474 (1931) andthe other for the government enacted in B.E. 2482 (1939). The Minister of Economic
Affairs was responsible for the former and the Prime Minister for the latter. The letter
pointed out that the Boonrawd Brewery Co., Ltd registered the lion brand as a businesstrademark before the appearance of the trademark law for the government in B.E. 2482.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs fixed the business trademark term to 10 years. After10 years the company had to renew its registration. Phraya Phiromphakdi had trouble
renewing the trademark because the register’s officer rejected his request to register thelion logo as a business trademark. Another problem was that the company’s lion logo,
was similar to the government’s trademark because the Office of the President of theCouncil of Ministers had declared the picture of a lion as the government’s mark. The
Vice-Minister for Economic Affairs pointed out that Clause #6 of the law forgovernment trademark in 1939 authorized the Office of the President of the Council of
Ministers to decide on this matter.
21

S.R.0201.23/10.N.A.

22

Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Commercial Directory for Siam 1929 Third Edition, Bangkok,
pp.150-1.
23
Fraser & Neave Ltd, 1883-1983, the great years, Singapore, 1983.
24

S.R.0201.23/10.N.A.

27

This letter reveals that the Vice-Minister of Economic Affairs showed his
sympathy for Phraya Phiromphakdi. He pointed out that Phraya Phiromphakdi had used
the lion logo long before the governmental trademark law of 1939; his logo was quite
well known in the market; he was a Thai merchant.
The letter from Tawi Bunyaget, the Secretary-General of the Cabinet, to Phraya
Phiromphakdi dated January 30, 1941 suggested Phraya Phiromphakdi submit a petition
to the Minister of Economic Affairs regarding the business trade mark law section 16-2.
This meant that Phraya Phiromphakdi had the right to submit a petition to the Ministerof Economic Affairs because he was not satisfied with the register’s officer rejection of
his request to register the lion logo as a business trademark.

11. The Beer Tax

The government finally decided to establish the beer tax 10 satan per liter on
April 3, 1933. Compared with the import tariff on beer at 15 satan per liter or 33.33 %of the price (whichever was higher), the beer tax was cheaper than the import tariff.
During the 1930’s there were four main excised commodities; spirits, cement, matches,and beer.
Table 6 and Table 7 show the trend of the beer tax from 1934 to 1940. Thesetables indicate several points: spirit duty accounted for a majority of the excise receipts
and played an important role in the excise tax from 1934 to 1940; beer tax accounted for
only a few percent in the excise tax. Compared with the duty on matches, beer tax was
far less during this period.

28

Table 6

Excise Receipts

1934 -1935(Unit: baht)

B.E.2477

B.E.2478

1934

1935

4,776,009

3,578,737

License Fees for Distilling

8,400

19,446

License Fees for Sale of Spirits

222,826

233,768

Excise Spirit Duty

Rent for Distillers
Fines
Indirect

2,706
161,751

Revenue

Profits of Government Distillery

164,361
1,321,056

224,571*

Home-Still Fees

8,431

Farm-out Fees

89,34676,040Miscellaneous

28,53731,864

Cement Duty

98,393

113,757

Matches Duty

1,661,306

1,466,646

95,317

162,157

7,377,593

7,167,832

Beer Duty
Total

Note: The years of the Buddhist Era referred in this table correspond to the following
years of the Christian Era
B.E.2477 = 1st April 1934 to 31st March 1935
B.E.2478 = 1st April 1935 to 31st March 1936
* Represents two years profits of the Government Distillery.
(Source) Office of the Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Report of the Financial

Adviser on the Budget of the Kingdom of Siam for the Year B.E. 2479 (1936-1937),p.16.
Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with the Budget of the Kingdom ofSiam for the Year B.E. 2480 (1937-1938), p.18.

29

Table 7

Excise Receipts 1936-1940(Unit: baht)

Excise Spirit Duty

B.E.2479

B.E.2480

B.E.2481

B.E.2482

B.E.2483

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

3,709,253

3,629,311

3,944,590 3,963,850 3,272,978Farm-out Fees

64,696

112,539

60,991

70,556

199,480

Home-Still Fees

21,167

18,887

18,883

16,781

14,656

6,680

5,800

7,480

4,520

1,120

License Fees for Sale of Spirits

241,298

250,059

242,623

229,639

60,873Fines

162,212

144,630

66,071

41,432

23,723

1,532,714 1,466,150 2,234,798

2,923,499

2,647,885

279,454334,841

146,620

51,53342,34332,16927,035

16,235

6,004,643 6,283,712 6,270,834

7,169,335

6,644,816

License Fees for Manufactured of
Spirits

Indirect of Revenue
Profits of Government Distillery

Miscellaneous
Total Spirit Duty

31,286

Beer Duty

139,514140,130

130,373

139,435

120,309

Cement Duty

131,365

163,979

184,154240,309

206,163

Matches Duty

1,351,513

690,786

724,352

647,018

328,608

Playing Cards Duty

-

-

-

144,141

172,155

Tobacco Duty

-

-

-

5,463,314

4,311,631

Salt Duty---

445,483

550,387

Total

7,627,035 7,278,607 7,309,712 14,249,035 12,334,069

Note: The years of the Buddhist Era referred in this table correspond to the following
years of the Christian Era:B.E.2479 = 1st April 1936 to 31st March 1937
B.E.2480 = 1st April 1937 to 31st March 1938
B.E.2481 = 1st April 1938 to 31st March 1939
B.E.2482 = 1st April 1939 to 31st March 1940
B.E.2483 = 1st April 1940 to 31st December 1940
(Source) Office of the Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Report of the Financial

Adviser in connection with the Budgets of the Kingdom of Thailand for the Half-Year
1st April to 30th September B.E.2482 (1939) and the Year B.E..2482-2483 (19391940), p.29. Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with the Budgets of theKingdom of Thailand for the Intercalary Year 1st October B.E.2482 (1939) to the3031st December B.E.2483 (1940) and the Year B.E. 2484 (1941), pp.24-5.

12. Conclusion
This article focused mainly on Phraya Phiromphakdi’s motivation to engage inthe beer brewing business in Thailand. His plan finally succeeded in spite of several
obstacles he encountered. The government’s decision to rapidly increase the importtariff on alcohol in early the 1930’s was a strong incentive for him to engage in thebrewing business. In the absolute monarchy he received strong support from the Kingand this gave him an advantageous position to negotiate with the government.
In a future article, I would like to examine the management of the Boonrawd
Brewery Co., Ltd, analyzing its income and balance sheets during the 1930’s and 1940’s.
There will be an emphasis on the company’s capital, and the Thai beer brewing
industry’s market, its use of raw materials and its technology.

31

Bibliography(1) Thai National Archives
R.7.RL20.3/7.N.A.
S.R.0201.23/10.N.A.
(2) Governmental Reports, Consular Reports
Office of the Financial Adviser, Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with the
Budget of the Kingdom of Siam.
Office of the Financial Adviser, Report of the Financial Adviser in connection with the
Budget of the Kingdom of Thailand.
The Statistical Office, His Majesty’s Customs, The Foreign Trade and Navigation of
the Port of Bangkok.
Department of Customs and Excise, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade andNavigation of the Kingdom of Siam .
Department of His Majesty’s Customs, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade andNavigation of the Kingdom of Siam .
Department of Commerce and Statistics, Central Service of Statistics, Statistical
Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam.
Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Commercial Directory for Siam .
Department of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Commercial Directory for
Thailand.
Department of Overseas Trade, Economic Conditions in Siam .
Gaimushou tsushoukyoku (Japanese), Tsushouisan, Nitsukankaigaishouhou,
Kaigaikeizaijijou .
Taiwansoutoku Kanbouchousaka (Japanese) , Minamishinaoyobinanyoujouhou .
(3) Serials
Bangkok Times Weekly Mail
(4) Articles“Prachuap Phirompahkdi : Naenon Khon Run-mai Yomdi kwa Run-kon”, Phunam
Thurakit, October 1987.

32

(5) Books
Phraya Phiromphakdi, Prawat Phraya Phiromphakdi kap Prawat Rong Bia (History of
Phraya Phiromphakdi and the History of Beer Factory), Bangkok, 1950.
Phraya Phiromphakdi, Banthukpracamwan Kanthongthio khong Khaphcao (Diary of
my travel), Bangkok, 1950.

Ruangyot Chantharakhiri, Thang Sing Phan, Yuk Samai, 1994.
Thanawat Sapphaibun, Sing maichai khe Bia, Dokya, 1998.
Fraser & Neave Ltd, 1883-1983, the great years, Singapore, 1983.
Prawat Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi Lae Prawat Rong
Bia (The History of Chao Phraya Woraphongphiphat Phraya Phiromphakudi and theHistory of Beer Factory), Bangkok, Ongkan Khru-Sapha, 1963.
Kitthung Pho (Thinking of father), Bangkok, 1992.

33

Appendix 1 The Average Retail Price of Imported Alcohol 1914-1938
1914 1915 1916 1917
Item
Beer

Brand
Ny Carlsberg
Ny Carlsberg
KabutoUnit
Big Case
1 qrt.bottle
Big Case

1918 1919 1920

17 22.66

38
29.87

32

27

1921

1922

1923

1924

28 28.25 29.75

25

25.87

(Unit : baht)
1925
1926 1927

1928

1929

0.54

0.63

0.6

0.51

0.65

Wine
Wine

Bottle1 qrt.bottle

0.7

0.8

1.12

1.5

1.5

1.5

1.5

1.29

2.35

1.85

2.87

2.87

2.68

2.2

2.08

0.8

BrandyBrandyBottle1 qrt.bottle

3.57

3.92

4.72

5.69

6.5

5

4.65

3.83

3

3.25

3.2

3.2

3.14

3.7

3.09

3.5

Bottle1 qrt.bottle

2.54

3.16

3.62

4.9

3.5

4

3.85

4.17

3.25

3.85

3.5

3.5

3.43

3.77

3.42

3.75

Champagne Pommery Greno
Champagne Pommery Greno

Big Bottle
1 qrt.bottle

6.42

6.5

8.75

13 10.05

8.5

6.85

6

-

5.25

5.25

5.25

4.5

5.06

4.5

4.75

1930 1931 1932 1933

1934 1935 1936

1937

1938

Item
Beer

Unit
Big Case
1 qrt.bottle
Big Case

0.36

0.36

0.57

0.57

0.48

0.48

0.48

0.52

0.52

WhiskyWhiskyDewar No.1
Dewar No.1

Brand
Ny Carlsberg
Ny Carlsberg
KabutoWine
Wine

Bottle1 qrt.bottle

1.5

1.5

1.75

1.75

1.75

0.75

0.75

1.42

1.42

BrandyBrandyBottle1 qrt.bottle

4.5

4.5

5.25

5.25

5.25

5

5

5.15

5.09

Bottle1 qrt.bottle

4.25

4.25

4.75

4.75

4.65

4.7

4.7

4.71

4.71

Big Bottle
1 qrt.bottle

4.5

4.5

4.9

4.9

4.75

4.75

4.75

4.65

4.81

WhiskyWhiskyDewar No.1
Dewar No.1

Champagne Pommery Greno
Champagne Pommery Greno(Source)
1914-18: Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam, No.7. 1922, p.290.
1919-25: Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam, No11. 1925/26, p.349.
1926-30: Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam, No.17. B.E.2474/75 (1931/33), p.404.
1931-36: Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam, No19. 1935/36-1936/37, p.513.
1936-38: Statistical Yearbook of the Kingdom of Siam, No.20. B.E.2480 (1937/38) and B.E.2481 (1938/39), p.519.

34

Appendix 2
Customs Tariff Decree B.E..2469(In force since 27 March 1927)
Import Duties
1 Beerad valorem 12 per cent

2 Winead valorem 12 per cent3 Spirituous Liqors,other than Beer or Wineper litre of absolute alcohol Tcs.2.50

Note: Duty will be levied in accordance with the percentage of absolute alcohol as compared by meansof Gay Lussac's alcoholmeter subject to a minimum charge of Stgs. 70 per bulk litre.
(Source) The Department of Customs and Ecise, Bangkok, The Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam

Years 2468 (1925-26) and 2469 (1926-27) , p.189.
The Customs Tariff(in force until 31st January 1931)
1 Beerad valorem 12 per cent

2 Winead valorem 12 per cent

3 Other liquids containing alcohol:(i) Spirituous Liquors (other than Beer and Wine),
and liquids of all descriptions (other than denatured
alcohol or liquids elsewhere specified) containing
more than 5 per centum of absolute alcohol.

per litre of absolute alcohol: Baht 2.50, subject to a minium change of stgs. 70 per bulk litre.

35

(ii) Perfumed Spirits, alcoholic perfumes and toilet
preparations, containing more than 5 per centum ofabsolute alcohol.
a. if containing 40 per centum or more per litre: Baht 2.50 or 5 per cent. ad valorem, whichever is the gretaer.
of absolute alcoholb. if containing less than 40 per centum per litre: Baht 1.50 or 5 per cent. ad valorem, whichever is the gretaer.
of absolute alcohol
Note-1. The duty is to be accessed in accordance with the percentage of absolute alcohol as computed by means of Gay-Lussac's alcohol meter.
2. Denatured alcohol means alcohol which has been before clearance denatured according to a formula appoved by the Director-General of the
Customs Department.
(Source) The Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam Year2473 (April 1930 to March 1931) , p.293.
The Customs Tariff(In force since 1st Februray 1931)
1 Spirituous liquors
a. Beerad valorem 12 per centb. Winead valorem 12 per centc. Brandy, Whisky, Rum, Gin, Geneva, and imitations
thereofper litre of absolute alcohol Baht 5.00 (subject to a minimum charge of Baht 2.50 per bulk litre).

Note: When imported in bottles or jars packed in cases, the total bulk contents of each such case shall, for purposes of assessing and charging duty,
be deemed to be not less than nine litres.
d. All other spirituous liquors, not elsewhere specified, per litre of absolute alcohol Baht 3.50 (subject to a minimum charge of Baht 1.05 per bulk litre).
containing more than five per centum of absolute
alcohol.

36

2 Perfumed Spirits, alcoholic toilet preparations
containing more than 5 per centum of absolute alcohol;
and all other preparations which contain more than five
per centum of absolute alcohol and are not elsewhere
specifieda. When containing forty per centum or more per litre Baht 5.00 or 30 per cent. Ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcoholb. When containing less than forty per centumper litre Baht 2.50 or 30 per cent. Ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcohol[Gay Lussac's alcohol meter is to be used for the determination of alcoholic content.]
3 Spirits which, before clearance for importation or delivery from Bonded Warehouse, have been denatured
according toa formula approved by the Director-Generalof Customs
per litre Stg. .01(Source) The Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam Year2473 (April 1930 to March 1931) , p.295.
The Customs Tariff(In force from 22nd February 1932 to 3rd March 1933.)
Table 1
Beer, Wine and Spirits.
1 Beer, including ale, stout, porter and cider ; and any per litre Stg. 15 or 30% ad valorem whichever is the greater.
liquor sold as a description of such, or as a substitutefor such, which is not liable to be charged at a higher
rate under this Tariff.
2 Wine12% ad valorem37

3 c. Brandy, Whisky, Rum, Gin, Geneva, and imitations
thereofper litre of absolute alcohol* Baht 5.00 (subject to a minimum charge of Baht 2.50 per bulk litre).

Note: When imported in bottles or jars packed in cases, the total bulk contents of each such case shall, for purposes of assessing and charging duty,
be deemed to be not less than nine litres.
4 Rectified spirit for use in a Government laboratory or per litre of absolute alcohol* Baht 1.60
hospital or in such other laboratory or hospital as may
be approved by the Minister; provided that such rectified
spirit is not used in the preparation of substances which, if imported, would be liable to duty under this Tariff at
a higher rate.
5 All other spirits, not elsewhere specified in this Table. per litre of a absolute alcohol* Baht 3.50 subject to a minimum charge of Baht 1.05 per bulk litre.
6 Perfumed Spirits and alcoholic toilet preparations
containing more than five per centum of absolute
alcohol.
a. When containing forty per centum or more per litre Baht 5 or 30 per cent. Ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcoholb. When containing less than forty per centumper litre Baht 2.50 or 30 per cent. Ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcohol
7 Spirits which, before clearance for importation or deliv per litre Stg. 3 or 15% ad valorem, whichever is the greater.
ery from Bonded Warehouse, have been denatured
to the satisfaction of the Director-General of Customs.
*Gay Lussac's alcohol meter is to be used for the determination of alcoholic content.
(Source) The Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam Year2475 (April 1932 to March 1933) , p.257.

38

The Customs Tariff(In force since 4th March 1933.)
Table of Import Duties
Table 1
Beer, Wine and Spirits.
1 Beer, including ale, stout, porter and cider ; and any per litre Stg. 15 or 33.33% ad valorem whichever is the greater.
liquor sold as a description of such, or as a substitutefor such, which is not liable to be charged at a higher
rate under this Tariff.
2 Wine12% ad valorem

3 Brandy, Whisky, Rum, Gin, Geneva, and imitations
thereofper litre of absolute alcohol* Baht 5.00 (subject to a minimum charge of Baht 2.50 per bulk litre).

Note: When imported in bottles or jars packed in cases, the total bulk contents of each such case shall, for purposes of assessing and charging duty,
be deemed to be not less than nine litres.
4 Rectified spirit for use in a Government laboratory or per litre of absolute alcohol* Baht 1.60
hospital or in such other laboratory or hospital as may
be approved by the Minister; provided that such rectified
spirit is not used in the preparation of substances which, if imported, would be liable to duty under this Tariff at
a higher rate.
5 All other spirits, not elsewhere specified in this Table. per litre of a absolute alcohol* Baht 3.50 subject to a minimum charge of Baht 1.05 per bulk litre.
6 Perfumed Spirits and alcoholic toilet preparations
containing more than five per centum of absolute
alcohol.
39

a. When containing forty per centum or more per litre Baht 5 or 33.33 % ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcoholb. When containing less than forty per centumper litre Baht 2.50 or 33.33 % ad valorem whichever is the greaterof absolute alcohol
7 Spirits which, before clearance for importation or deliv per litre Stg. 4 or 25% ad valorem, whichever is the greater.
ery from Bonded Warehouse, have been denatured
to the satisfaction of the Director-General of Customs.
*Gay Lussac's alcohol meter is to be used for the determination of alcoholic content.
(Source) The Department of His Majesty's Customs, Bangkok, Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade and Navigation of the Kingdom of Siam Year2475 (April 1932 to March 1933) , p.262.

40

Appendix ３ The Alcohol Importer in Thailand in 1929
Name of Firm

Registered Address in Bangkok Address Abroad
Nationality

1 Anglo-Siam Corporation, Ltd British

2 Bainbrigge, R.D.

N.R.

Aticles imported

Bankers

Hongkong Bank-Lane Head Office: London, Branch
Bombay, Karachi, Singapore

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C,

New Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Mercantile Bank of India, Siam

Hongkong and Shanhai Bank,
Mercantile Bank of India

Commercial Bank, Chartered Bankof India, A.and C.

3 Bangkok Manufacturing Co. N.R.

Pitstien Bridge

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

4 Barmer Export Gesellschaft Dutch

Rajawongse Road

Head Office: Rotteldam(Netherlands)

Beer

5 Barrow Brown & Co., Ltd

SiameseSapan Hua Takay

London, Paris

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

6 Berli, Jucker & Co

Swiss

Rajawongse Road

7 Borneo Co., Ltd

BritishBan Mai

8 Buan Soon Lee & Co

Siamese

New Road

9 Couper-Johnston & Co.,D

SiamesePost Box 25

Siam Commercial Bank

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Head Office: London,
Chartered Bank of India, A. and C.
Branches: Singapore, Kuching,
Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur,
Alo Star, Teluk Anson, Batavia,
Sourabaya, Semarang,
Palembang, Pontianak &Benkoelen.
Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.
Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank,
Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Banque de I'indo-Chine

41

10 Diethelm & Co.,Ltd

Swiss

New Road

Head Office: Zurich, Branches: Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Singapore, Penang, Saigon, andHaiphong

11 Dost & Co., Ltd

N.R.

Sikak Phya Sri

12 Edgar Brothers, Ltd

BritishPost Box No.23

Head Office: Manchester,
Branches: Sourabaya, Osaka,
Singapore and Penang

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

13 Ellerman's Arracan Rice &Trading Co.,Ltd

BritishOriental Avenue

Head Office: London

Spirits

14 Ericsson & Co., T.A.

N.R.

Worachakra Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

15 Geyer, Hans

N.R.

Sikak Phya Sri

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

16 Grimm & Co.,B.

SiamesePost Box No.66

Head Office: Hamburg

17 Holland-Siam Trading Co.,LtdDutch

Post Box No.77

Head Office: The
Hague

18 Hoo Swee Ho

N.R.

Pitstien Bridge

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

19 Jawarad Co.,Ltd

Siamese

Jawarad Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Charetered Bank of India, A.
and C., Bank of Canton

20 Kalz Brothers, Ltd (nowHenry Waugh & Co.,Ltd)

BritishAnuwongse Road

21 Kiam Hoa Heng & Co.,Ltd

Siamese22 Kiam Hoa Seng & Co

SiameseEast Bank RiverMenam
New Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank,
Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

Chartered Bank of India, A. and C.
Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank,
Chartered Bank of India, A. and
C., Hongkong and ShanghaiBankBeer, Wine, Spirits Banque de I'Indo-Chine,
Mercantile Bank of India

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.
Head Office: Singapore,
Branches: Penang, Medan, andLondon.
Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank
42

23 Leonowens Ltd.,Louis T.

BritishHongkong Bank Lane Head Office: London

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Chartered Bank of India, A. and C.,
Mercantile Bank of India

24 Mitsui Bussan Kaisha Ltd.

Japanese Hongkong Bank Lane Head Office: Tokyo, Branches: Beer
many

25 Mond & Co.,E.C. (LesSuccesseurs de)
26 Muller Motor Agency, E..

FrenchBush Lane

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

N.R.

Seekak Phya Sri

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

27 Nai Lert

N.R.

Post Box No.36

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

28 Oriental Stores Ltd.

SiameseOriental Avenue

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

29 Paul Pickenpack

GermanSapan Mon

30 Pisal Pantie Trading Co.

SiamesePost Box. No.7

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

31 Ratanamala & Co.,Ltd

SiamesePost Box. No.83

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

32 See Boon Ruang & Co.

N.R.

Siphya Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

33 Sedel & Co., Geo. M.

N.R.

Unakan Road

Beer, Sipirits

34 Seng Guan

N.R.

Pahurat Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

35 Seng Heng Brothers & Co.

N.R.

New Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

36 Siam Architects

N.R.

Asdang Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

37 Siam Textile Trading Co.

N.R.

Siphya Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Siam Commercial Bank

Head Office: Hamburg

43

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank,
Chartered Bank of India, A. and C.
Banque de I'Indo-Chine, Siam
Commercial Bank, Mercantile Bankof India

Beer, Wine, Spirits Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

Siam Commercial Bank

38 Siphya Store

SiameseSiphya Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

39 Societa Commissionaria di
Exportazione e diItalianPost Box No.28

Wine

40 Spediel & Co., Ltd., F.W.

Siamese

Anuwongse Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A. and C.,

Siam Commercial Bank

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

41 Steiner & Co.

N.R.

Post Box No.53

Beer, Wine, Spirits Mercantile Bank of India

42 Stephens, Paul & Co

SiamesePost Box No.17

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

43 Straits Siam Trading Co.

N.R.

New Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

44 Sudda Dilok

N.R.

Sapan Panfar

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

45 Suphan Phanich Co.,Ltd

SiamesePost Box No.52

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

46 Syme & Co.

BritishPost Box No.27

47 Teck Soon & Co.

N.R.

New Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

48 Thoresen & Co., Ltd

BritishBush Lane

Wine, Spirits

49 United Engineers, Ltd.

BritishBantawai

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

50 Windsor & Co.

GermanChartered Bank Lane Head Office: Hamburg,
Branches: Shanghai, Tsingtao

Beer, Wine, Spirits Siam Commercial Bank

51 Wu-Chan & Co.

N.R.

Anuwongse Road

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

Head Office: Singapore,
Barnches: Batavia, Samarang,
Sourabaya, Ker Bolton & Co,
London and Glasg,w.

44

Beer, Wine, Spirits Chartered Bank of India, A and C.

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank

Note: N.R. means not registered. Mitsui Bussan Kaisha Ltd's branches are ommitted.
(Source) Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Bangkok, Directory for Siam 1929 Third Edition , pp.142-169.

45

Appendix 4 The Importers of Wine & Spirit in Thailand in 1941
1 The Anglo-French Drug Co, (Thailand)*2 The Anglo-Thai Corp., Ltd*3 Bangkok Liquor Combine, Ltd.
4 Berli, Jucker & Co.
5 The Borneo Co., Ltd.
6 Commercial Co, of Thailand, Ltd.
7 D. Couper-Johnston & Co.
8 Diethlem & Co., Ltd.
9 The Eastern Agencies, Ltd.
*10 Fraser & Neave, Ltd.
11 Henry Waugh & Co., Ltd.
12 E. Jurgens.
13 Louis T. Leonowens, Ltd.
*14 Linag Hong Co., Ltd.
*15 Mitra Phanich.
16 Les Successeurs De E.C. Monod & Cie.
*17 The Oriental Stores, Ltd.
18 Pra Bhasara see Boon Ruang.
19 The Siphya Store.
20 Societa Commissionaria Di Esportazione E Di Importazione.
21 Sunphanit Store.
*22 Tan Hoa Heng & Co.
23 The Thai Niyom Panich Co., Ltd.
24 Thai Vatana Phanich.
25 Yan Wo Tong.
26 Yap Thian Seng Tong.
Note: * means that the compnay which appeared in beer imported firms.
(Source) Department of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Commercial Directory for
Thailand B.E. 2484 Fifth Edition , pp.258-9.

46

Appendix 5 The Alcohol (Beers, Ales & Stout) Importer in Thailand in 1941
Name of Firm

Established Postal Address

1 The Anglo-Thai Corp., Ltd

1897

Bush Lane, Bangkok

2 Bangkok Liquor Combine, Ltd

1929

1571, Chakrawat Road,
BangkokHead Office Branches
LondonBombay, karachi,
Singapore, Penang.

Bankers
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia &China, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation, The Mercantile Bank of India,
Limited, The Thai Commercial Bank,
Limited, The Yokohama Specie Bank,
Limited.
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia &China

3 The Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd

Bang Krabue

4 Fraser & Neave, Ltd.

Siphya Road, Bangkok, Singapore
P.O. Box 32.

Malacca, Seremban, Hongkong & Shanghai banking Corporation
Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh,
Penang, Batavia,
Soerabaya & Medan.
Penang, Kuala
Lumpur, Ipoh,
London5 Henry Waugh, & Co., Ltd

1864

36/38, Nai Lert'sSingapore
Building, Charoen Krung
Road, Bangkok, P.O.
Box 40.

6 Hidaka & Co.

1927

2110, Kinder Lane,
Charoen Krung Road,
Bangkok.

7 Liang Hong & Co., Ltd

1921

2986/94, Rajawongse
Road, Bangkok

Bangkok47

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia &China

The Yokohama Specie Bank, Limited, The
Mercantile Bank of India, Limited,
Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation.
Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation, The Chartered Bank of India,
Australia & China.

8 Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, Ltd

9 Mitra Phanich.

110 Charoen Krung
1870
Tokyo
(Incorporat Road, Bangkok. P.O.Box
35.
ed in
Japan)86 Talat Bambhemboon

10 The Oriental Stores, Ltd

1919

Oriental Avenue,
Bangkok..

11 Tan Hoa Heng & Co.

1932

441/43, Wat Samplum
Street, Bangkok.

12 William & Co., Ltd

1924

Charoen Krung Road,
opp. G.P.O. Bangkok.

Principal Cities
throughout theWorld.

The Yokohama Specie Bank, Limited,
Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation.

The Thai Commercial Bank, Limited, The
Chartered Bank of India, Australia &China, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation.
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia &China
Bangkok(Source) Department of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bangkok, Commercial Directory for Thailand B.E.2484 Fifth Edition

48