Polar Beverages history

Peary’s first visit to the Arctic took place in 1886 when he attempted, unsuccessfully, to cross Greenland.

In 1888, Nansen undertook the first crossing of Greenland’s interior.

In 1891, Peary undertook an expedition to Greenland to determine if it is an island or peninsula of the North Pole.

With a crew of 12, Nansen chartered the Fram and sailed from Bergen on 2 July 1893.

In 1901, Dennis M. Crowley, the great grandfather of the present owners of Polar Beverages, founded D. M. Crowley & Co., a wholesale and retail liquor business.

In 1903, Amundsen undertook an expedition to traverse the Northwest Passage.

Ship Discovery, and the two relief ships, Morning and Terra Nova, in Antarctica during the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1904.

Doctor Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908, but this claim has been disputed.

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Shackleton, was undertaken in 1911 with the aim of crossing Antarctica.

Since 1912, Polar has been the preferred provider for restaurants, country clubs, law offices, universities, businesses or anyone looking for a quality stock or custom leather product and exceptional customer service.

In 1916 the Crowleys acquired the J. G. Bieberbach Company.

In 1918 Dennis purchased the Leicester Polar Spring Company, and the combined businesses became known as the Bieber Polar Ginger Ale Company.

Scott was one of the most influential, and arguably most tragic, figures of the ‘heroic age of Antarctic exploration’. The heroic age was a period of history from the end of the 19th century through to 1921 that saw several international efforts to explore Antarctica and reach the South Pole.

Amundsen’s account of reaching the North Pole in 1926 is the first to be verified.

Explorer and cinematographer, Lewis Varick Frissell, produces the film Great Arctic Seal Hunt, also known as The Swilin' Racket (released 1928), from footage that was shot during a seven week voyage to Newfoundland aboard the SS Beothic.

In 1933 prohibition was repealed, which allowed the Crowleys to resume their liquor business as “rectifiers and wholesalers”; however, the company remained focused on soft drinks and water as it is today.

He completed his first major climb, Mount Ollivier, in 1939.

The search ended in 1941 when he established a brewery in Antimano, a suburb of Caracas.

The Antimano facility enjoyed sufficient success so that by 1950 a second brewery, Cerveceria de Oriente, could be established in the Venezuelan city of Barcelona.

In 1951, Hillary joined the British reconnaissance expedition of Everest.

On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first recorded climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

In 1954, the firm also began its initial expansion into the food sector when it created Refinadora de Maiz Venezolana C.A.

Hillary formed part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1958, leading the New Zealand section.

The northern boun­dary, therefore, is often considered to be the line at 60 degrees south latitude, which was agreed to by the sig­natories of the Antarctic Treaty System in 1959.

By 1960, at a time when large Venezuelan corporations lacked confidence in the country's beleaguered economy and thus turned their attention to overseas markets, Cerveceria Polar decided instead to expand at home.

In 1966 the Polar Ginger Ale Company was renamed Polar Corp. to correct the impression that the company only produced ginger ale.

The company’s headquarters remained at the site of the old Bieberbach firm at 113 Summer Street, Worcester, until 1968.

Since the beginning of satellite measurements in 1979, the surface area of summer ice has shrunk by around three million square kilometres.

By 1984, Cerveceria Polar controlled an 85 percent share of its domestic marketplace.

In 1985, Hillary landed at the North Pole.

In 1986, as part of the Will Steger International North Pole Expedition, Bancroft became the first woman to reach the North Pole on foot and by sled.

1988: Industrias Savoy is acquired.

Then, in 1992, the US American geologist Joseph L. Kirschvink formulated the hypothesis of the “snowball Earth”, which said that the continents and seas were so extensively covered with ice that the planet viewed from space at those times would have looked like a snowball.

In 1993, the firm entered the soft drink market when it acquired Golden Cup.

In 1994 Polar made a TV commercial where a polar bear considers drinking a Coke, but throws it into a recycling bin marked, "Keep the Arctic pure." The polar bear then reaches down into the freezing, Arctic water and pulls out a can of Polar Seltzer and drinks contentedly.

In December 1996, Polar Beverages bought long-time competitor Adirondack Beverages in Scotia, New York, including its 650,000 square foot manufacturing facility.

By 1998, Polar had outgrown its Route 290 facility and began looking for a new location in the New England area.

In May 1999 Polar Beverages acquired Venture Distributing, the leading new-age distributor in the Boston marketplace.

By 2000, Sopresa had six production facilities and 55 distribution warehouses, and its products were found in over 200,000 stores.

2001: Empresas acquires 98.2 percent of competitor Mavesa S.A.

In 2002, he was listed as one of the richest men in the world by Fortune magazine.