Hans C. Olson was born in Denmark. He and his wife Emma emigrated to the United States in 1867 and moved to Racine, Wisconsin where Hans found work in a wagon shop. In 1895 he established the Belle City Brewing Company in that town. He took on partner Andrew Fedderson in about 1900. The two ran the brewery until 1910 when it was reorganized under bankruptcy. From then it continued as the Belle City Temperance Beer Brewery with the same owners. Their products were Crown Malt Ale and Tonic. Olson retired from business due to ill health in 1912 and died on October 4th, 1919. Fedderson continued operating the brewery as a sole proprietor, but with the loss of its founder and despite the reorientation towards temperance products, the firm faded out of existence during dark years of Prohibition.