|
 Who
Needs
Fiction?
A Few Books about the History of the Beverage Industry
By Tom Allan
Sex. Murder. Back room deals. Drugs. Corruption.
Do find yourself reading novels to quench your thirst for drama and
excitement? Don’t waste your time! Look no further than the beverage
industry for some of the best true stories of crime, corruption, and
high finance. Here are a few particularly juicy books from my
reading list that paint a colorful picture of the consumer products
game:
“Blood
and Wine: The Unauthorized Story of the Gallo Wine Empire and the
Family Scandal that Threatened to Destroy It”. This book,
written by freelance journalist Ellen Hawkes, tells the story of the
Gallo family all the way back to Joseph Sr. (dad to E&J). Old Joe
bumped off his wife and himself decades ago, and left Ernest & Julio
to raise their much younger brother, Joe junior. Nutshell: They ace
little Joe out of his share of the empire and then sue him when he
starts his own cheese biz in the eighties. Nasty lawsuit and
subsequent testimony results in this tell-all tome. I think Ernest
is trying to corner the market on these books. I loaned my copy to a
Gallo salesman years ago and never saw it again.
“Under
the Influence: The Unauthorized Story of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty”,
by Peter Herron. Aside from offering a great history of the early
days of the American brewing industry, this also tells a family
story that competes with what could be found on daytime (or
after-hours) television. This is the Kennedy family of the beer
world, and I don’t mean just because of their wealth & power (nudge,
nudge). Buy this to read about accidental (?) violent deaths,
unprosecuted crimes, boardroom patricide, and sex scandals.
“For
God, Country, and Coca Cola: The Definitive History of the Great
American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It”, by Mark
Pendergrast, tells one of the great branding stories in world
history. This one is a bit light on soap opera-style drama, but is a
fascinating illustration of how single-minded pursuit of a vision
can create a culture that transcends time and geography. Oh, and
there is a bit of mental illness, trademark hi-jacking, cocaine, and
international politics scattered among the pages as well. That and
the secret recipe in an appendix.
The last book I’ll mention is only marginally related to the
drinks industry via the old
Heublein
organization. The story itself is so amazing, and the book so well
written, that it deserves a read. “Barbarians
at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco”, by Bryan Burrough, is
written like a novel, not a business story. It is very hard to put
down after you get a few pages into the story. We have here a tale
of unbridled greed, stock manipulation, and corruption that makes
Enron look like a playground rumble. If you ever wanted to know what
goes on behind the scenes of an LBO (and trust me, you DO), read
this!
What do these books all have in common aside from long titles
with colons in the middle? They will all entertain you endlessly
while you actually learn something about the history of the industry
we all interact with in one way or another. Read and enjoy. |
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