You Know the Name Innes - But Not This Story
Thursday 04 June 2026
Before it became a Waikato institution, this brewery nearly collapsed...twice. Its survival came down to one woman: Mary Jane Innes.
The story begins with Charles Innes, a Scottish brewer who arrived in Ngāruawahia in 1865. He established a soda-water factory, a malting house, and a brewery to supply the newly settled Waikato Militia. While demand was strong, his finances were not. Burdened by heavy mortgages, he lost the entire enterprise when his lenders foreclosed just ten years later.
Mary Jane changed everything.
Newly arrived from Wales and financially independent, she purchased land in Te Awamutu in 1875 under her own name, shielding it from her husband’s debts. While raising the first of their ten children, she financed a new brewery. Charles managed operations, but history repeated itself. By 1888, a failed batch of malt ruined trade and left him bankrupt once again. This time, the outcome was different.
Because the property belonged to Mary Jane, she was able to settle the debts and take full control. Declaring herself sole proprietor in the Waikato Times, she confidently advertised her Christmas ale and stout, marking a decisive shift in the business’s direction.
Her ambitions grew quickly. Within a year, she had taken over the Waikato Brewery in Hamilton, located on Bridge Street (now Anzac Parade), and moved her family there. When the brewery burned down in 1897, she rebuilt on the same site without hesitation. Today, that location is home to the restaurant Chim Choo Ree.
After Charles’ death in 1899, Mary Jane and her eldest son, Charles Lewis, formed C. L. Innes & Co. Together they expanded into soda-water and bottling, setting the business on a path of steady growth that lasted for more than fifty years. By the 1950s, the brewery had become a Waikato favourite. It embraced the region’s rugby mascot, Mooloo the Jersey cow, and promoted its products as “fine ales for friendly folk.” Although the company was later absorbed into Lion Nathan and the Hamilton brewery closed in 1987, one legacy endures.
Waikato Draught, first developed by C. L. Innes & Co. in 1925, is still brewed today. It stands as a lasting reminder of the business Mary Jane Innes refused to let fail.
Want to learn more about Mary Jane Innes? Check out our blog post, Hamilton's Hidden Heroines You Need to Know.
This article was originally shared in our bimonthly newsletter, Ngaa Koorero Tuku Iho Archives and Reference. Subscribe to receive updates, news and stories straight to your inbox.