DUROCHERS KAN KAVE--- THE KAN KAVE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1975. MY NEIGHBOR WAS BUILDING A GLASS TOP TABLE AND WANTED A VARIETY OF BEER CANS FOR THE LEGS AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD PICK HIM UP BEER CANS ON MY TRAVELS. ONE DAY WHILE FISHING ON A TROUT STREAM IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN I SPOTTED A CAN DUMP SO THE SEARCH BEGAN, FINDING TUDOR BEER AND ALE, PAUL BUNYAN AND BIG MAC CANS I FILLED MY CREEL WITH CANS, THE FISH HAD TO DANGLE ON A STRINGER. WHEN I RETURNED HOME I WENT TO THE NEIGHBOR WITH THE CANS, HE SAYS I ONLY WANT ONE OF EACH AND HE SUGGESTED I GO TO THE SMALL CAN SHOW IN THE PARKING LOT OF A STORE, THERE I SOLD ALL THE CANS AND SO NATURALLY THE NEXT WEEK I DROVE FROM MILWAUKEE BACK TO FREDA IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN FOR MORE CANS, THEN BACK HOME AND SOLD THEM ALL AGAIN SO BACK NORTH AGAIN , THE HAULING IN BURLAP SACKS 1 1/2 MILE GOT A LITTLE ROUGH SO I DECIDED TO BUY A ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE TO MAKE HAULING EASIER. ABOUT THAT TIME I HAD PEOPLE CALLING ME THE DUMP MAN, I TOLD THEM YOU CAN LAUGH AT ME BUT I WILL LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK, WHICH I DID. IN 1979 MY INCOME FOR TAX PURPOSES SHOWED $128,000 ON EMPTY BEER CANS , I DROVE TO THE SCHELL BREWERY IN NEW ULM MINNESOTA EVERY OTHER WEEK FOR A TRUCK LOAD OF CANS AND TRAVELED AS FAR NEW BRAUNFELS TEXAS FOR A LOAD.I THEN STARTED MAKING SHOWS ALL AROUND THE USA WITH BEER CANS. ABOUT THIS TIME BILLY CARTER ( JIMMIES BROTHER )CAME OUT WITH BILLY BEER MADE BY 4 BREWERIES, KNOWING THIS WOULD BE HARD TO MATCH I DECIDED TO COME OUT WITH DUROCHERS KAN KAVE BEER, THE CAN WAS DESIGNED BY ME WITH THE HELP OF CONTINENTAL CAN CO. WHEN APPLYING FOR A PERMIT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR APPROVAL OF THE LABEL IT WAS REJECTED BECAUSE OF THE BEER CAN LITTER ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF THE KAVE, THEY CLAIMED IT WOULD ENCOURAGE LITTERING, WHEN I EXPLAINED THAT COLLECTORS PICK LITTER AND DO NOT LITTER THE CAN LABEL WAS APPROVED AND PRODUCED BY CONTINENTAL CAN CO.
BREWED BY THE SCHELL BREWERY OF NEW ULM MN. THE BEER WAS SOLD IN NEW ULM AND ROCHESTER MN AND AVENUE LIQUOR IN MILWAUKEE WI. TOTAL PRODUCTION WAS 1500 CASES. THE CAN WAS MADE TO REFLECT A COLLECTORS DREAM OF A KAVE WITH BEER CANS LITTERING THE GROUND.THE KAN KAVE SOLD BOTH WHOLESALE AND RETAIL AND SUPPLIED DEALERS ALL OVER THE USA WITH EMPTY COLLECTOR CANS. THE KAN KAVE CAN WAS NEVER ENTERED IN THE BCCA CAN OF THE YEAR CONTEST, WHY I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT , SOME ONE IN THE HIGHER RANKS PROBABLY KNEW IT WOULD WIN AND DID NOT WANT THIS SO SOME PERSON FEELING AS I DID SENT THE CAN TO ME AS CAN OF THE YEAR ON A PLAQUE.
MY GREATEST THING WAS TO BUY OUT LARGE REMAINING INVENTORY OF CANS FROM EVENTS, MY FIRST LARGE MOOVE WAS TO SELL THE REMAINING SCHELL FARMFEST CANS, THESE WERE OWNED BY RAY SCOTT ASSOCIATES IN HOPKINS MN, AFTER THIS WE BOUGHT ALL REMAINING CANS OF OBSOLETE LABELS FROM THE SCHELL BREWERY IN NEW ULM MN. WE ALSO BOUGHT THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF CANS FROM ACTION IN JACKSON AT JACKSON WI AND MY FINAL BIG BITE WAS TO BUY THE REMAINING CANS FROM THE CLOSED PRINZ BREWERY IN ALASKA, SHIPPING THE CANS BY BARGE TO SEATTLE WA. AND THEN TRUCKED TO COLGATE WI. THIS BROUGHT MY INVENTORY TO 15,000 CASES X 24 CANS IN EACH, WAY TOO MANY FOR A SMALL DEALER, THOUGH WE WERE PROBABLY THE LARGEST DEALER IN THE CAN DEALER IN THE USA IN VOLUME OF CANS WE ALWAYS ACTED LIKE THE UNDER DOG.
AS THE BEER CAN HOBBY SLOWED WE SWITCHED TO ALL BREWERY ITEMS. I NOW DEAL WITH CANS, MUGS,NEONS , SIGNS AND TAP HANDLES AND ALL BEER RELATED ITEMS.WE BUY COLLECTIONS OF THESE ITEMS ALSO.AS MY AGE 85 HAS SLOWED MY ACTIVITIES DOWN I HAVE SWITCHED MY DEALING TO SMALL LIGHT ITEMS AS TAP HANDLES. WE HAVE A CABIN ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR ON LAND THAT WAS BOUGHT WITH MONEY MADE ON BEER CANS. I AM NO LONGER CALLED THE CAN DUMP MAN.
WE COLLECT;HAMMS-BOSCH AND HAAS ITEMS.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE HOBBY SINCE 1975,
GORDON DUROCHER
OWNER DUROCHERS KAN KAVE
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