Primo Export Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Primo Export 1975 UPC Tab Top Can

This 12-ounce straight steel tab top container dates to 1975 and represents the mid-1970s packaging for Primo Export Beer. The label features a 1975 copyright line crediting the Hawaii Brewing Company as a division of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company in Honolulu. Notably, this variation includes an early Universal Product Code (UPC) printed vertically alongside the seam, marking the mid-1970s transition toward automated retail scanning across the beverage industry. The centerpiece of the design incorporates the classic Hawaiian warrior helmet encircled by an "Island Brewed" banner, overlaid across a grid map of the Hawaiian Islands.

Primo was originally introduced in 1901 by the Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company, positioning itself as the premier local lager of the islands. Marketed extensively as an authentic Hawaiian beverage tailored to the tropical climate, the brand leaned heavily into native island iconography and local pride. By the late 1960s, Primo was a dominant force in the regional market, capturing the vast majority of beer sales across the state. The brand later shifted through corporate acquisitions by the Stroh Brewery Company and Pabst Brewing Company, enduring as an indelible cultural symbol of island life.

The Hawaii Brewing Company originated in Honolulu during the late 1890s. After halting operations during Prohibition, the business re-emerged in 1934 as the Hawaii Brewing Corporation on Kapiolani Boulevard. In the mid-1960s, Milwaukee-based Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company acquired the operation and built a large production facility in ʻAiea on Oahu to keep up with surging regional demand. This facility served as Hawaii’s major industrial brewery until Schlitz permanently closed the plant in 1979 and relocated mainland production to California.

For breweriana collectors, mid-1970s Primo cans are prized artifacts from the final era of large-scale commercial brewing within the Hawaiian Islands. The blend of vibrant Pacific island motifs, straight steel can manufacturing, and early barcoding makes this piece an essential representative of Hawaiian regional brewing heritage.