1890-1909
When PHOENIX began in 1890, it started as a glass bottle manufacturer, Safe Glass Co. in Bowling Green, OH founded by Civil War veteran and lawyer, John S. Giles. A short 3 years later, Achille Weissenthanner arrives from France to the Worlds Fair in 1893 to debut mechanically applied metal closures for glass bottles. In 1996 Weissenthanner establishes the Phoenix Cap Co in New York in 1896.
Over the next 9 years Giles innovates glass bottling by creating a hinged closure and merging with two other companies that innovate a vacuum sealed closure. The need for closure innovation is in demand and by 1905 Weissenthanner’s company is purchased by Giles. The glass bottle manufacturing is discontinued and Giles focuses his efforts solely on closure manufacturing as he leads Hermetic Closure Co.