Heineken Brewery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heineken | |
 |
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| Type | Public (Euronext: HEIA) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1864 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| Key people | Jean-François van Boxmeer (Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO), René Hooft Graafland (Member of the Executive Board/CFO), |
| Industry | Beverages |
| Products | Beers and lagers |
| Revenue | €10.796 billion (2005) |
| Employees | 64,300 (2005) |
| Website | http://www.heinekeninternational.com/ http://www.heineken.com/ |
Heineken Brewery (Heineken Brouwerijen) is a Dutch brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2006, Heineken owns over 130 breweries in more than 65 countries and employs approximately 64,000 people. It brews and sells more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers, including Cruzcampo, Tiger, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Birra Moretti, Ochota, Murphy’s, Star and of course Heineken. Heineken claims that the original Heineken recipe has not changed since the beer was first produced nearly 150 years ago.
With an annual beer production of 121.8 million hectoliters, Heineken ranks as the fourth largest brewery in the world after InBev, SABMiller, and Anheuser-Busch. Heineken's Dutch breweries are located in Zoeterwoude and 's-Hertogenbosch. The original brewery in Amsterdam, closed in 1988, is preserved as a museum called Heineken Experience. The museum features "rides", interactive exhibits, and two bars (with three glasses of Heineken covered by the entry fee). It also gives an insight into the company's history and brewing processes through the years. Heineken Experience is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
| Heineken | |
|---|---|
| Location | Amsterdam The Netherlands |
| Year opened | 1864 |
| Annual production | 121.8 million hectolitres |
Contents |
[edit] History
The Heineken company was founded in 1864 when the 22-year-old Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery known as De Hooiberg (the haystack) in Amsterdam. In 1874 the brewery's name changed to Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij, and opened a second brewery in Rotterdam in 1874. In 1886 Dr. H. Elion, a pupil of the French chemist Louis Pasteur, developed the "Heineken A-yeast" in the Heineken laboratory. This yeast is still the key ingredient of Heineken beer. In 1887 Heineken switched to the use of bottom-fermenting yeast.
The founder's son, Henry Pierre Heineken, managed the company from 1917 to 1940, and continued involvement with the company until 1951. During his tenure, Heineken developed techniques to maintain consistent beer quality during large-scale production. Henry Pierre's son, Alfred Henry "Freddy" Heineken, started working at the company in 1940, and 1971 was appointed Chairman of the Executive Board. He was a powerful force behind Heineken's continued global expansion, and while he retired from the Executive Board in 1989, he maintained involvement with the company until his death in 2002.
[edit] Global expansion
After World War I, the company aimed more and more on export. Three days after Prohibition ended in the United States, the first Heineken shipment landed as the first legal shipment of beer. From that day on, Heineken has remained one of the most successful imported beer brands in the United States.
During this period, Heineken tried to increase its stock price by purchasing competing breweries and closing them down. After World War II, many small breweries were bought or closed, damaging the diverse beer culture of the Netherlands. In 1968 Heineken merged with its biggest competitor, Amstel, and in 1975 opened a new brewery in Zoeterwoude. The Amstel brewery was closed in 1980, and its production moved to Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch.
[edit] Breweries and brands
Heineken owns and manages one of the world's largest portfolios of beer brands. The principal international brands are Heineken and Amstel. Heineken is marketed as a premium brand, except for their home market in the Netherlands. Heineken is the leading beer brand in Europe and Amstel is the third largest. In Europe, Amstel is positioned in the mid-priced mainstream segment, the largest segment of the market, and is available in more than 90 countries around the world.
Heineken also owns and manages a portfolio of more than 170 top-selling brands that includes Cruzcampo, Tiger, Ochota, Zywiec, Birra Moretti, Murphy's and Star. Heineken has a limited presence in the low-priced segment of the market and its international and local brands include lagers, specialty beers, light beers (low-calorie beers) and alcohol-free beers.
[edit] Sponsorships
[edit] Heineken Cup
Heineken sponsors the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union knock-out competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the Six Nations: England, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Italy. Heineken has been the sponsor since the cups' inaugural tournament in 1996.
[edit] Heineken Open'er Festival
Heineken is the main sponsor for the Open'er Festival contemporary music festival held in Gdynia, Poland that covers Hip hop music, Rock music and electronic music.
[edit] Oxegen
Heineken has sponsored Oxegen since 2004 when they took over from Witnness which was sponsored by Guinness.
[edit] UEFA Champions' League
Since this year, Heineken sponsors UEFA Champions' League with its main brand, while until last year the competition was sponsored by Amstel brand, that now is a brand of Heineken group.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Heineken Homepage
- Heineken International
- History at Heineken University
- Heineken Experience
- RateBeer
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