Levant Brewery, incorporated November 21, 1941 with a capitalization of £P5000, divided into 5,000 shares of £P1 each,1The Palestine Gazette, April 30, 1942, p.541. subsidiary of Palestine Brewery Ltd.
Local beer production in Mandatory Palestine only began to gain traction when it received government support in the form of tax reduction in the mid-1930s, probably driven by the demand for beer from an increased British military presence.2Gillman, Gary, “imported Beer in Mandate Palestine, part 1, Beer et seq., July 8, 2020, accessed August 11, 1024. With the financial backing of French industrialists, led by banker and trained brewer René Gaston-Drefus, The Palestine Brewery opened in 1934 on the grounds of a Rishon LeZion winery3Walter, Rich, “Israel’s First Brewery Rolled With Tax Cut,” Atlanta Jewish Times, July 31, 2017, accessed August 11, 2024.
and made rapid headway, spawning 2 companies: Cabeer Breweries Ltd. in 1937 and Levant Brewery Ltd. in 1942.
Levant took a page from its parent company and initiated competition for the label of its first product.4Gökatalay, Semih, The Formation of Industrial Brewing and the Transfer of Knowledge and Demand in Mandatory Palestine, De Gruyter, 2024 p. 54. The competition was open to anyone and entries had to be submitted by February 1, 1942. Artist Abel Pan headed the jury, which included S. Bensimon and Benjamin Lewensohn. First prize winner would be awarded £P15; second, £P10; and third, £P5. It was up to the contestants to invent a name for the new beer, specially made with extracts of American malt and hops “containing vital vitamins.”5Advertisement in the Palestine Post, January 12, 1942, p. 4. The strategy of having entrants suggest branding was intended to help the company determine the preferences of consumers.6Gökatalay, Semih, The Formation of Industrial Brewing, p. 54. The judges reserved the right to “cancel the competition if the standard of the entries [was] not considered satisfactory.”7 Palestine Post, January 12, 1942, p. 4. According to an announcement the following month, no first prize was awarded. Ze’ev Raban and Ismar David won second prize, with the prize money to be divided equally between them. Third prize went to Meir Gur-Arie, Hami [spelling uncertain] Klein and E. Coleman, a private in the M.E. Forces, who likewise split their prize money.”8 Palestine Post, February 11, 1942, p. 2. If only Levant had seen fit to share the brand names each entrant devised.