Colorado History: How Coors Survived During Prohibition

Colorado is known as the birthplace of plenty of household items, such as Crocs and Otterbox phone cases, as well as famous breweries like New Belgium and Odell Brewing. However, the most recognizable brand from the Centennial State is, hands down, Coors.

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Coors beer has been around so long that it is known as one of the big brewing companies to be established before prohibition and made a comeback after it was repealed, unscathed. So, how did the major Colorado brewing company survive?

Colorado's Coors Brewing Co. Survived Prohibition with Pottery

In addition to brewing beer, Coors has long been responsible for producing porcelain, ceramics, fine China, etc., and even, in more recent years, electronics and automotive parts.

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Now known as CoorsTek, the extracurricular ventures were created under a company known as the Coors Porcelain Company, a name that was adopted in 1920, the same year that the United States enacted prohibition.

The pieces created during this time largely bear the words, "Coors U.S.A" underneath, but products created by the Coors Porcelain Company around this time were also released under product names like Rosebud, Glencoe Thermo-Porcelain, Coorado, and Mello-Tone.

While CoorsTek has since spread across the globe and today has its hands in the automotive industry, the oil and gas industry, the chemical industry, and plenty of others, it was the porcelain and tableware created between 1920 and 1933 in Golden, Colorado, that the company credits for its survival during prohibition.