LONDON, ON – In one of the largest donations of its kind in Canadian history, Labatt Breweries today donated its entire corporate archival collection to the University of Western Ontario and Museum London.
Appraised at a value of more than $8.3 million, the collection contains documents, artwork and and other memorabilia extending back to the founding of the brewery in 1847, two decades before Canada was a country.
The material, which comprises more than 2,600 boxes, was scattered in various locations across the country before a project was undertaken four years ago to have it gathered and catalogued.
From the press release:
The materials illustrate the evolution of corporate governance and management models and include market research; commercial advertising which mirrors Canadian cultural values and trends; research, technology and engineering materials related to brewing processes and innovations; and iconic images of corporate branding, packaging and memorabilia. The collection also provides interesting and meaningful details on key phases in Labatt’s corporate history, including the origins of John Labatt’s brewery in London, John Labatt’s growth to a national brewer, the diversification of John Labatt Limited, and Labatt’s acquisition by Belgian-based Interbrew.
In addition, Labatt has also donated $200,000 to the University of Western Ontario to assist them in digitizing portions of the archive to make it more readily accessible.
More information about the archive, along many historic advertisements and images (including the one above), is available online at labatthistoricgift.ca