Henry Augustus Peirce (1808–1885) joined in 1828 as a clerk, and worked his way up to a partner.

[2] James Fowler Baldwin Marshall and Francis Johnson took over management of the Honolulu business.

[3] In 1863, the company entered Hawaii's sugar cane industry, managing three plantations on Maui.

By 1925, after more consolidation, C. Brewer handled 25% of the islands' sugar and was one of Hawaii's largest corporate landholders.

In 1930, the new C. Brewer headquarters building was built at 827 Fort Street in the heart of Downtown Honolulu's business district, and is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu.

In 1986, the company's Hawaii president led a $200 million buyout by other executives, investors, and friends.

[7] By the end of the 20th century, the company still owned some 70,000 acres (28,000 ha) throughout the state.