Boonrawd Brewery Company Limited
Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi was born Boonrawd Sreshthaputra on 13 October 1872 , son of Pra Bhirom Bhakdi (Chom Sresthaputra ). He was educated at home, teachered by his father until the age of 11 , when he was sent to a temple to be further educated by the monks, a custom at the time for Thai boys. He started work quite young, during his teens,as a teacher, and then moved on to become a clerk at A.J.Dickson, a British-owned logging company. He stayed in the logging business for a while, and acted as a car dealer for a bit before starting his own ferry business, ferrying the Bangkokians across the Chao Praya River, between Bangkok and Thonburi. The business was a success at first, until there came too many competitions, and finally the building of bridges across the river. He dabbled in the idea of brewing a Thai-made beer in 1929,
and finally sent in a request to the government to build the first Thai brewery in 1930. Meanwhile,Boonrawd toured Germany and Denmark to study the art of making beer.
His dream became a reality in 1933, when the first bottle of Thai beer, Singha Beer,
rolled off the assembly line at Boonrawd Brewery.
Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi helped with many charities in his lifetime. He also become an expert in the art of kite flying in Thailand, and published a book on kite competitions.
He acted as fireman on numerous occasions,using his ferries to stop burning buildings with water from the Chao Praya River, and was finally made Luang Bhirom Bhakdi by His Majesty King Rama VI on 20 November B.E.2454 (1911) , at the age of 39. He became Pra Bhirom Bhakdi on 20 December B.E.2460 (1917), aged 44, and finally Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi on 1 January B.E.2467(1924), at the age of 52.
His Masjesty King Rama VII granted permission to Boonrawd for his descendants to use the surname of Bhirom Bhakdi, instead of Sreshthaputra. A new dynasty was born.
Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi was married to Khunying Lamai, and had 3 sons -Vidhya, Prachuab and Chamnong. He died in 1950, at the age of 78.
Note: Khun, Luang, Phra and Praya are titles of the old Siamese Aristocracy no longer in used.
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