Biography: Adolphus Busch

Some people are just larger than life. This can certainly be said of Adolphus Busch. Perhaps part of his claim to fame as one of the world's best salesmen came as he sold his ideas to his siblings and parents. When you are the second youngest of twenty-two children you may have to do a lot just to be noticed. This salesmanship served him well later in life.

Adolphus Busch was born in Kastel Germany. It happened July 10, 1839. His parents were Ulruch Busch and Barbara Pfeiffer Busch.

Busch came to America as an immigrant and came with very little he traveled west and settled in St Louis with the lowly job of a clerk.

Salesmanship was what made Mr. Busch his fortune. He recognized good beer, but he really wasn't much of a brewer. He relied on others to do the actual brewing. Eventually it was his father-in-law Eberhard Anheuser whose brewing skills gave the beer the good flavor, The basics of salesmanship and great business skills took off from there.

It has been said that Busch's real success was in the role of the collector. It was a unique way to build the business, good will and brand loyalty. Every establishment in the area that sold Busch beer would be visited each month to collect the royalty from the sales. Under Adolphus's strict instructions he was to spend an amount proportionate to it's monthly by in that saloon and on those customers. It was no surprise that all of the sudden everyone loved the collector and separating with the royalties was no longer an issue. Buggies of drinkers would actually follow him from establishment to establishment.

Another of his interesting marketing tools was his business card. He used a brass pocket knife that listed the name of his business and a picture of himself that could be seen through a peephole on the knife.

It was in 1876 that the master brewers of the company came up with the universal beer they felt would appeal the the masses and Budweiser, named after a small town in Germany, started it's fast track recognition to a household word.

When his father-in-law passed away 1880, the company became Busch's full and clear.

Adolphus was not bashful about all his success. He was extravagant beyond his time. He owned a huge home in St Louis. He had two homes in Pasadena California. He had his own private railroad card. All of his estates, including two in Germany, were know for their extravagant gardens. They all included wood carvings based the characters from Grimm's fair tales. On their golden wedding anniversary he actually gave his wife a crown valued at $200,000.

Adolphus Busch, larger than life and knew how to enjoy it.