BY EMBUKANE VINCENT
LIBOSSO
R
|
ecently , Kenneth
Kwama did an excellent piece on The Standard newspaper’s feature- KENYA
AT 50. He traced the roots of Tusker; and today I share with you his
story.
The first beer to be brewed in a factory in Kenya
was produced in 1922 in small copper
vessels heated by firewood.
It was bottled by hand and the first order of 10 cases personally delivered to the
General Manager of the Stanley Hotel.
Although the
hotel had just been opened, it was the meeting point for visiting presidents
and world renowned figures. George Hurst,
the white settler, who initiated the brewing process, laid the ground for the
formation of East African Breweries Ltd
(EABL).
Historical accounts
indicate that Hurst was a fun loving socialite, who loved hinting. He formed a
joint venture with his brother Charles
and together they formally registered the company on December 8, 1922.
Unfortunately,
Hurst was killed by a charging elephant while on a hunting expedition in 1923. In memory of his tragic death, his
brother Charles named the famous lager
he had created Tusker.
Large male
elephants are called “tuskers” and the
EABL Lager (first brewed in 1929) was named in memory of George’s demise. The
brand was first marketed in 1923, shortly
after the death of the founder of the
company, George Hurst.
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