Who Founded Molson Coors?

John Molson (1763-1836) emigrated from England to Montreal in 1782 and started brewing there in 1786, founding what became Molson Brewery, the oldest brewing business in North America. He later launched the Accommodation, one of the first steamships in Canada, and invested in banking and hotels. His descendants kept control of Molson, and the family still holds voting control of Molson Coors alongside the Coors family.

Molson was born in England on December 28, 1763 and died on January 11, 1836. Beyond brewing he built the first Canadian steamship and the first public Canadian railway, served as president of the Bank of Montreal, and established a hospital, a hotel and a theatre in Montreal.

Adolph Coors (1847-1929) apprenticed as a brewer in Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1868, and in 1873 opened the Golden Brewery in Golden, Colorado, using local spring water. The business became Adolph Coors Company and survived Prohibition by making malted milk, near beer and ceramics. Coors family members ran the company for generations, introduced Coors Light in 1978, and merged it with Molson in 2005. Adolph Coors was born in 1847.