Perlick History
“Build the best product you can. A poorly made product is expensive at any price. Do not listen to those who would have you build something cheaply. Make a profit on everything you sell. Be honest with yourself, your customers and your fellow man. Only a few black marks will soil a good name and reputation. Remember these things always.”
…….Robert Perlick, 1925
Perlick was founded by Robert Perlick and his oldest son Walter, on January 1, 1917. They called their partnership the R. Perlick Brass Works. Robert’s goal was to begin an organization for his family that would be recognized by its peers as a responsible manufacturer of items made of brass. By 1922, Perlick was manufacturing a battery terminal as well as a window anti-rattling device for the automobile industry. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, his party repealed the Volstead Act, ending prohibition. In the years between 1929 and 1933, Perlick prepared for just that event. They also added a tube-bending department to their operation and enlarged their line of fittings for brewers and bottlers. When prohibition ended, the A.O. Smith Company introduced a line of glass lined storage tanks for brewers. They needed a line for sanitary fittings to hook up these tanks to the process piping systems in each brewery. Perlick was chosen as their exclusive supplier.
In the years that followed, Perlick manufactured brass fittings for in plant brewery use, along with keg fittings and cooler boxes cooled with ice. Perlick would soon develop a refrigeration department of its own.
Today, Perlick manufactures a full line of bar & beverage dispensing equipment in a 300,000 square foot facility in Milwaukee. Perlick is run by Steve Bergum and Larry Molinari, who represent the fourth generation of the Perlick family. Steve and Larry are proud to carry on the tradition on which the Perlick Corporation was built. And in this, our 90th anniversary year, they intend to continue to grow the company and provide the very best products available to the food and beverage industry. As it was in 1917, and is still true today, “It Pays to Prefer Perlick”.