Catalina Beverage Company

Catalina Beverage was founded in 1929, by C.L. Crow. Mr. Crow found Catalina Island the perfect location to raise a family and start a business.

Catalina Beverage started in 1929 as beverage and ice business, when people and business had real “Ice Boxes”.

Prior to Prohibition he expanded adding sodas, water, and some beer. The beer was sent in quart glass bottles packed with straw, that came over on passenger and freight boats.

Mr. Crow being the only employee at inception, delivered to customers by bike pulling a hand truck with freight. He continued to do so after expanding his delivery drivers, though the drivers used vehicles to deliver products. Mr. Crow still made deliveries on bike until the 1960’s.

While in high school and then USC, Mr. Crow delivered groceries
in Pasadena to various households, one of them being August Anheuser Busch, Jr and his wife. When prohibition ended 1933, Mr. Crow contacted Mr. Busch and was given a new distributorship for Anheuser Busch to Catalina by a handshake.