John Christoph Wunder was born in Streitberg, Germany. He emigrated to America at age 17 in 1872 and settled in Minneapolis Minnesota where, in 1882, he was naturalized as a citizen.

In 1884 he was an agent for a liquor dealer in that city. By 1887 Wunder had his own saloon. In 1895 Wunder, along with Charles H. Sievers of Minneapolis, John G. Hinkle of St. Paul, William Bryler of St. Louis, and C. F. Kessler of San Diego together capitalized the San Diego Brewery of California. He left that partnership in 1898 to purchase the Bavarian Brewery in San Francisco, whereupon he renamed it the Wunder Brewery. He phased out its flagship Bavaria Lager Beer in favor of his own Wunder Beer. He continued to run the brewery until it was merged into the Union Brewery syndicate. The brewery closed in 1909 and Wunder retired in Germany.

John Christoph Wunder died in Germany on February 11th, 1929. He was 73 years old.