Kona Brewing Company
http://www.konabrewingco.comHistory
Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa. Originally from Oregon, the pair saw a need to create fresh, locally made brews with the same spirit and passion for quality that existed in the Pacific Northwest. Because of their great love for the Big Island, the Kona Coast in particular, they wanted to build a business that would benefit the island and would not harm the pristine environment. The happy result of this dream is the brewery in Kailua-Kona.Kona Brewing Company's first beer packaging occurred on February 14, 1995, introducing Pacific Golden Ale (now called Big Wave Golden Ale) and Fire Rock Pale Ale to Hawaii in bottles and kegs. Beer production has increased every year. Three flagship beers now are widely distributed, and approximately 10 other styles of beer are brewed on a regular basis and served at Kona Brewing Company's pubs and select fine restaurants. These range in color from very blonde to black; in flavor from tangy to hoppy to roasty... and everything in between.
Kona Brewing Company's Kailua-Kona Pub on Hawaii's Big Island opened in November 1998. In December 2003, Kona Brewing Company opened its second restaurant location at Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai on Oahu.
Kona Brewing Company has been the leader in Hawaii's microbrew category since 1996. It is the largest brewery in Hawaii, and it sells more microbrewed beer than any other craft brewery imported into the state. No company has brewed such a quantity of beer in Hawaii since Primo left in the late 1960s.
In 2003, Kona Brewing Company formed a strategic alliance with Widmer Brothers Brewing Company that utilizes the Anheuser-Busch Sales distribution system. While the alliance has very little impact on day-to-day operations at the brewery, it provides Kona Brewing Company with access to the foremost distribution network in the world.