Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-12-31
FRIDAY IS LAST DAY
FOR LOCAL BREWERY
PRACTICALLY ALL MEN TO BE
DISCHARGED-FRUIT JUICES
TO BE EXPLOITED.

"
to supply the local demand this week
and with none "left over" that will
have to be shipped to California or
some other wet" state, as is the case
with nearly every other brewery in
Washington, the Olympia Brewing
company will close its business today,
under the mandate of the statewide
prohibition law which becomes op-
erative tomorrow. So passes busi-
ness which during the last several
years has given employment to from
IS to more than 100 men locally. and
whose gross sales Of draft and bottled
beer have amounted to more than
$1,000,0O0 annually for the last flve
years. Nor is the company estab-
fishing a plant in California, as have
some other Washington breweries.
Despite the proximity Of its clos
ing, the company distributed its
usual Christmas gifts to its employees
last week, each married man receiv-
ing a turkey, each single man cash
gift. This has been the company's
custom for years, and the fact that
the state is going "dry" January 1
did not prevent its being carried out
this year.
During the month OF January some
eight or ten men will be employed at
the brewery, several in the ONCE to
help close Up the company's business.
one or two to handle returned kegs
and cases, an engineer and a watch
man. The rest Of the company's en-
ployes--those who had not previous
II been laid of this fall-will be dis
charged today; after January the
Schmidt brothers and associates, with
. few employees in the Ice and Fruju
department. will be the only ones left.
(, no Develop Fruit Products.
The company proposes to exert
every endeavor to develop Fru1u and
Frupop, soft drinks that were placed
ON the market this last summer. The
concentrated fruit juices used in
''Fruju" are being made by the
Northwest Fruit Products company
Of Salem, Ore. in which the schmidts
are also largely interested. but they
hope that eventually they will be
able to make them here. and to work
into other fruit product lines. The
company has other plans which have
not been announced. and has had sew
eral proposals from other parties'for
the use Of the plant. but has consid-
cred none of them meritorious.
The company has been in business
here for practically 20 years, the
original plant being planned and
built by the late Leopold F. Schmidt
In the early part Of 1895, after he
came here from Montna. and the first
beer was put on the market October
/ OF that year. The first years out
put was 1000 barrels: the company's
largest years output was 100000
barrels. The first plant was located
in q building 26 by 80 feet In size.
four and Ave stories high. about the
size of the detached building now oc-
cupied by the Olympia Dairy Prod
ucts company. the Arm organised by
the schmidts last summer when they
took over the Farmers Cooperative
Creamery.
The business was started under
the name Of the Capital Brewing
company, Leopold F. Schmidt, pro-
prietor. In October, 1895, 1t was In
corporated as the Capital Brewing
company and capitalized at $4,000,
which was increased to $4,000 in
October, 1898, when outside capital
was interested. The capitalization
has remained at that figure ever
since, the firm name being changed
to the Olympia Brewing company
June 20, 1902, a change prompted by
the fact that in the previous years
the product had come to be generally
referred to as Olympia Beer,
though at first it was called "Tum'
water"
All Agencies Discontinued.
The company has shipped its prod
uct as far east as points in Montana
southeast as far as Clifton, Arizona
south into Oregon and California
over to the Hawaiian islands ant
north into Alaska. It maintained
branch Offices. cold storage plant
and auto delivery service in Seattle
Tacoma, Portland and Spokane, AM
agencies and cold storage plants II
Deer Lodge, Mont, Wallace and San,
Continued on Page Five.