Gottfried Louis Kunz was born in Wolfsmühle, Germany to a family of flour millers. In 1853 he and his sister Elizabeth emigrated to America and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1857 Gottfried left Cleveland and moved to the village of Cooperstown in Manitowoc County Wisconsin. There he purchased a half interest in his cousin John's land, which they then logged for profit.

Kunz's plans were to use his earnings to erect a brewery in the nearby town of Branch Mills. He petitioned his cousin Heinrich George Kunz to be the brewmaster. His side of family owns the Lammbrauerei in Untergröningen, Germany and it was in this place Heinrich learned the brewer's art.

Heinrich George made his way to America in 1857. On the way to Wisconsin he stopped off in Ohio and collected and married Gottfried's sister Elizabeth, who was waiting in city of Cleveland. When the family was united in Manitowoc County they began to build the brewery. It was completed in the spring of 1858 and was put to use immediately slaking the thirst of the loggers and millworkers of the area.

It was by all accounts a successful venture. Gottfried continued to run the firm right up to his death at age 48 on May 27th 1878, at which point Elizabeth took over management. In 1882 the family sold the brewery to Peter Hermann. He operated the brewery until 1884 when it burned down and was never rebuilt.