Niels G. Larsen
Encyclopedia
Niels G. Larsen was born on December 13, 1879, in Copenhagen
, Denmark
and died on – October 25, 1956 in Monterrey
, Mexico
. He was a Danish brewer
and a promoter of the Mexican beer
industry.
to study the art of making beer and got a masters degree in Brewery
at the Weihenstefan School of Brewery in Munich
.
He returned to Denmark and worked as an assistant at the Tuborg brewery. In 1907, he moved to Norway
to work at a local brewery. Seven years later, in 1914, he traveled to Córdoba
, Argentina
, to work at the "Cervecería de Río Segundo" brewery. In 1918, he married Maria Anderson, and had 5 children with: Ellen, Olaf, Alba, Erik and Else.
In 1927, Niels and his family moved to the city of Quito
, Ecuador
, to work at the La Victoria brewery, which was owned by a Danish family named Vorbeck. Neils returned to Copenhagen and became a businessman, buying a local brewery in the city of Silkeborg
. Two years later, Neils sold the brewery to accept an invitation from Luis Garza Sada to come to Mexico to work at the brewery Cervecería Cuauhtémoc, in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Niels worked here for 22 years at, until he retired in September 1955.
Niels came to Mexico in a time where the Mexican beer industry began to recover from the Mexican Revolution
. Niels´ experience and knowledge helped the Mexican beer industry grow. During Niels´ administration, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc increased its production from 130,000 hectoliters per year in 1932 to more than a million hectoliters in 1950.
Niels was a member of the Danish Brewery Association for more than 50 years, and was also a member of the American Brewery Association, leading many conferences in the United States
.
On October 17, 1956, just days before the wedding of his daughter Ellen, a car ran over him in Monterrey. He died at the Muguerza Hospital on October 25, 1956.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and died on – October 25, 1956 in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He was a Danish brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
and a promoter of the Mexican beer
Mexican beer
Beer in Mexico has a long history. While Mesoamerican cultures knew of fermented alcoholic beverages, including a corn beer, long before the Spanish conquest, European style beer brewed with barley was introduced with the Spanish soon after Hernán Cortés’ arrival...
industry.
Life
Niels Georg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 13, 1879, in the Tvedes brewery. His father was Sophus Larsen, a brewer, and his mother was Eline Svare. He began working at the early age of 15, at the Tuborg Brewery in Copenhagen. In 1904 he went to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to study the art of making beer and got a masters degree in Brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
at the Weihenstefan School of Brewery in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
He returned to Denmark and worked as an assistant at the Tuborg brewery. In 1907, he moved to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to work at a local brewery. Seven years later, in 1914, he traveled to Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, to work at the "Cervecería de Río Segundo" brewery. In 1918, he married Maria Anderson, and had 5 children with: Ellen, Olaf, Alba, Erik and Else.
In 1927, Niels and his family moved to the city of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, to work at the La Victoria brewery, which was owned by a Danish family named Vorbeck. Neils returned to Copenhagen and became a businessman, buying a local brewery in the city of Silkeborg
Silkeborg
Silkeborg is a city in central Denmark. Located in Silkeborg municipality in Jutland, the city has a population of 42,724 . The development of Silkeborg as a modern city may be traced to the foundation of the paper mill by Michael Drewsen on the Gudenaa in 1844...
. Two years later, Neils sold the brewery to accept an invitation from Luis Garza Sada to come to Mexico to work at the brewery Cervecería Cuauhtémoc, in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Niels worked here for 22 years at, until he retired in September 1955.
Niels came to Mexico in a time where the Mexican beer industry began to recover from the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. Niels´ experience and knowledge helped the Mexican beer industry grow. During Niels´ administration, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc increased its production from 130,000 hectoliters per year in 1932 to more than a million hectoliters in 1950.
Niels was a member of the Danish Brewery Association for more than 50 years, and was also a member of the American Brewery Association, leading many conferences in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On October 17, 1956, just days before the wedding of his daughter Ellen, a car ran over him in Monterrey. He died at the Muguerza Hospital on October 25, 1956.