Heineken N.V. (), branded as The Heineken Company is a Dutch multinational

brewing company A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. Heineken owns over 165

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders and employs approximately 85,000 people. With an annual beer production of 24.14 billion litres in 2019, and global revenues of 23.894 billion euro in 2019, Heineken N.V. is the number one brewer in Europe and one of the largest brewers by volume in the world. Heineken's Dutch breweries are located in

Zoeterwoude Zoeterwoude () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Western Netherlands. It covers of which is water. It had a population of in . Located to the southeast of Leiden ...

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

and

Wijlre Wijlre ( ; ) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem. History The village was first mentioned in 1075 as Wilere, and means "farm or hamlet". Wijlre developed in the Middle Ages betwee ...

. The original brewery in Amsterdam, closed in 1988, is preserved as a museum called

Heineken Experience The Heineken Experience, located in Amsterdam, is a historic brewery and corporate visitor center for the internationally distributed Dutch pilsner, Heineken beer. History Background The industrial facility was built as the first Heineke ...

. Since the merger between the two largest brewing empires in the world,

Anheuser-Busch InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...

and

SABMiller SABMiller plc was an Anglo–South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by AB InBev for US$107-billion. It was the world's sec ...

, in October 2016, Heineken has been the second-largest brewer in the world. Zoeterwoude 003

History

Gerard Adriaan Heineken

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

. In 1869 Heineken switched to the use of

bottom-fermenting yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitu ...

. In 1873 the brewery's name changed to Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij (HBM), and opened a second brewery in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

in 1874. In 1886

Dr. H. Elion Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, Ger ...

, a pupil of the French

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, Fermentation, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the la ...

, developed the "Heineken A-yeast" in the Heineken laboratory. This

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

is still the key ingredient of Heineken beer.

Henry Pierre Heineken

The founder's son,

Henry Pierre Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, G ...

, 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. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the company focused more and more on exports. Three days after

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

ended in the United States, the first Heineken shipment landed in New York. From that day on, Heineken has remained one of the most successful imported beer brands in the United States.

Alfred Henry Heineken

On 1 June 1941, Henry Pierre's son, Alfred Henry "Freddy" Heineken, entered the service of the Heineken company, which by then was no longer owned by the family. Freddy bought back stock several years later, to ensure the family controlled the company again, and in 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. Heineken logo

During this period, Heineken tried to increase its stock price by purchasing competing breweries and closing them down. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, many small breweries were bought or closed. In 1968 Heineken merged with its biggest competitor,

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam, to which the rive ...

, and in 1975 opened a new brewery in

. The Amstel brewery was closed in 1980, and its production moved to Zoeterwoude and

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

Recent history

Since mid-2007, Heineken has taken ownership of former S&N International brands such as Strongbow and

Bulmers Bulmers cider is one of a number of brands owned by British cider maker H. P. Bulmer of Hereford, a Heineken subsidiary. It is one of the biggest selling British bottled cider brands in the UK with a number of variants including Bulmers Origin ...

ciders and

John Smith's John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, produces beers including John Smith's, the highest selling bitter in the United Kingdom since the mid-1990s. The majority of John Smith's sales are of the nitrogenated Extra Smooth ...

and

Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale is a brown ale, originally brewed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was launched in 1927 by Colonel Jim Porter after three years of development. The 1960 merger of Newcastle Breweries with Scottish Brewers afforded the bee ...

beers. With the part acquisition of

Scottish and Newcastle Scottish & Newcastle plc was a brewing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, which expanded from its home base to become an international business with beer volumes growing almost tenfold. The company was listed on the London Stock Exc ...

in 2007/2008, Heineken became the third-largest brewer based on revenues, behind the Belgian-Brazilian

AB InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...

and the British-South African SAB. Heineken owns the Czech brand Dačický, which was brewed in

Kutná Hora Kutná Hora (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora, i ...

from 1573 until Heineken took ownership of it and closed the brewery in 2009. In October 2016, following the merger between

and

, Heineken became the second largest brewer in the world. On 12 January 2010, Heineken International successfully bought the brewery division of Mexican giant

FEMSA Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the la ...

in all-stock deal expanding its reach throughout Latin America. The deal brought brands such as

Dos Equis DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible systems ...

, Sol,

Tecate Tecate () is a city in Tecate Municipality, Baja California. It is across the Mexico–United States border, Mexico–US border from Tecate, California. As of 2019, the city had a population of 108,860 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area ha ...

Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índi ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

and Kloster. Following the deal, Heineken started selling its products in Latin America through FEMSA's distribution network. The deal made

20% owner of Heineken N.V. essentially becoming its largest single shareholder after the Dutch families (Heineken family and Hoyer family) who owns 25.83% and public shareholders owning 54.17%. The FEMSA acquisition is expected to keep Heineken in its strong position by growing its market share in the Latin American markets. FEMSA has a massive distribution network and owns Mexico's largest convenience store chain OXXO, which has thousands of locations throughout the country.In September 2014, it was announced that Heineken would sell its Mexican packaging business Empaque to Crown for around $1.23 billion. Also during that month, Heineken revealed it was in talks to sell its Czech operations to

Molson Coors Molson Coors Beverage Company is a Canadian-American Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 through the merger of Mo ...

. On 10 September 2015, Heineken International announced it would acquire a 50% stake in

Lagunitas Brewing Company The Lagunitas Brewing Company, founded in 1993 in Petaluma, California, is a subsidiary of Heineken International. Before Heineken bought a 50% share of the company in 2015, the company met the definition of a craft brewery. Two years prior it ...

of Petaluma in California as part of an effort to allow it (Lagunitas) to expand its operations globally. As part of the deal, Lagunitas would no longer be considered a craft brewer as the Heineken stake was greater than 25%. In January 2017, Heineken announced it was in negotiations to buy the

Kirin Company is a Japanese beer and beverage holding company. It is known for brands such as Kirin Beer, Kirin Lemon, Mets, and Gogo no Kōcha. The predecessor of the company, the Japan Brewery Company, was founded in Yokohama in 1885 by William Henry Tal ...

's 12 breweries in Brazil. The following month, Heineken closed the deal and bought

Brasil Kirin Brasil Kirin S.A. was a Brazilian brewery and drink company, the second largest in the country after AmBev. Founded in 1939 as Schincariol, the company was purchased in 2011 by the Kirin Company. In 2017, Kirin sold the company to Heineken N.V ...

for US$700 million. On 4 May 2017, after previously acquiring 50% of Lagunitas Brewing Company, Heineken announced it would be purchasing the remaining 50% making it the sole owner of Lagunitas. In 2018,

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

signed an agreement with

China Resources Enterprises China Resources Beer is a subsidiary of China Resources Holdings. Its assets include a 51% share in CR Snow, the largest brewing company in China and a joint venture with SAB Miller. Background The company was previously part of China Resou ...

to purchase a 40% stake into the company. In June 2018, Heineken named Maggie Timoney as the CEO of Heineken USA, making her the first woman to become the CEO of a major United States beer supplier. In June 2021, Heineken's stake in United Breweries of India increased to 61.5%, ultimately taking control of the company. In April 2023, Heineken completed the acquisition of

Distell Distell Group Limited, commonly referred to as Distell, was a multinational brewing and beverage company, based in South Africa. On April 26, 2023, Distell was acquired by Heineken. After that, its operations were integrated into Heineken Beve ...

and Namibia Breweries. In May 2023, Heineken N.V. bought back €333 million in shares from

. FEMSA would no longer hold any shares in Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. other than the Heineken Holding N.V. shares underlying the exchangeable bond. In August 2023, Heineken announced the sale of assets in Russia to the

Arnest Group The Arnest Group is a Russian manufacturer of perfumery, cosmetics and household products notable for its growth through acquisition of Western corporate assets in Russia under sanctions involving Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hi ...

for €1 plus a €100 million commitment to repay domestic debt.

Global structure

Heineken organises the company into five territories which are then divided into regional operations. The regions are: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, The Americas, Asia Pacific and Africa and the Middle East. These territories contain 115 brewing plants in more than 65 countries, brewing local brands in addition to the Heineken brand.

Executive team

The executive team of the company consists of the following people: * Dolf van den Brink, Chairman Executive Board/CEO * Harold van der Broek, Member Executive Board/CFO * Yolanda Talamo, Chief People Officer * Magne Setnes, Chief Supply Chain Officer * Bram Westenbrink, Chief Commercial Officer * Joanna Price, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer * Ronald den Elze, Chief Digital & Technology Officer * Marc Busain, President Americas * Jacco van der Linden, President Asia Pacific * Roland Pirmez, President Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe * Glenn Caton, President Europe

Brewing plants

Heineken's brewing plants have been designed and engineered in 4 main parts of the world.

Europe

Heineken has 23 operating companies in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

: * Brau Union Österreich in Austria *

Alken-Maes Alken-Maes is a Belgium, Belgian brewery created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes located at Waarloos, Kontich-Waarloos and Cristal-Alken located at Alken, Belgium, Alken. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2000, who wer ...

in Belgium * Zagorka Brewery in Bulgaria *

Karlovačka pivovara Karlovačka pivovara (lit. "Karlovac Brewery"), since 2013 formally Heineken Hrvatska d.o.o., is a brewery in Karlovac, Croatia, founded in 1854 by local landowner Baron Nikola Vranyczany-Dobrinović. In 2003, Heineken International acquired a ...

in Croatia *

Starobrno Brewery Starobrno Brewery (in Czech: Pivovar Starobrno) is a Czech brewery located in the city of Brno. It was built as a successor of the brewery founded in 1325, as a part of Cistercian convent. The brewery was named ''Starobrno Brewery'' only in the ...

in the Czech Republic * H. P. Bulmer in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

in England *

Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...

, England * Royal Brewery in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England * Heineken France: ** Brasserie de l'Espérance in

Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, ; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer'' in Alsatian. It is the largest suburb of the ...

** Brasserie Pelforth in Mons-en-Baroeul ** Brasserie de la Valentine in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

* Athenian Brewery in Greece *

Heineken Hungária The Heineken Hungaria Breweries Plc., as a Hungarian subsidiary of the international Heineken Group. It has two sites in Hungary in Sopron and Martfű, based on the former Sopron Brewery (Soproni Sörgyár) and Martfű Brewery (Martfűi Sörgyár) ...

in Hungary * Heineken Ireland at Lady's Well Brewery in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

* Heineken Italia in Italy * Heineken Nederland in the Netherlands *

Żywiec Brewery Żywiec Brewery () is one of the largest breweries and beer producers in Poland. Founded in 1856 in the town of Żywiec, the brewery manufactures pale lager with a 5.5% alcohol volume. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec B ...

in Poland *

Central de Cervejas Sociedade Central de Cervejas (SCC; full name: SCC – Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas, S.A.) is a Portuguese brewery, founded in 1934. Its main output is the Sagres brand of beers. The company has been controlled by Heineken since Ap ...

in Portugal * Heineken Romania in Romania *

Heineken Srbija Heineken Srbija () is a Serbian brewery based in Zaječar. It is owned by the Dutch brewing company Heineken International. History The Dutch brewing company Heineken International entered the Serbian market in July 2007. Soon after entering the ...

in Serbia * Heineken Slovensko in Slovakia * Pivovarna Laško Union in Slovenia * Heineken España in Spain, with breweries in Seville, Valencia, Jaén and Madrid * Heineken Switzerland in Switzerland *

Calanda Bräu Calanda Bräu (German for " Calanda Brew") is a brewery in Chur, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, owned by Heineken N.V. Its lagers, brewed using Alpine spring water, are available across Switzerland. History The Calanda Bräu ...

in Switzerland

The Americas

Heineken has 9 operating companies in

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

: * Commonwealth Brewery in the Bahamas *

Heineken Brasil Heineken Brasil is the Brazilian subsidiary of Dutch brewer Heineken. The company produces beer and soft drink under the brand names Kaiser, Brasil Kirin, Glacial, Cintra, Baden Baden, Devassa, Eisenbahn, and Amstel. Founded in 2010, the co ...

in Brazil * Brasserie Nationale d'Haiti in Haiti *

Desnoes & Geddes Desnoes and Geddes Limited (D&G) is a Jamaican brewer and beverage producer, best known for Red Stripe lager. It was formed in 1918 by Eugene Peter Desnoes and Thomas Hargreaves Geddes who combined their two shops into one business, originally ...

in Jamaica *

Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma / Heineken México) (English: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery) is a major brewery based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, founded in 1890. It is a subsidiary of Heineken Inter ...

in Mexico * Cervecerías Barú-Panama, S.A. in Panama * Windward & Leeward Brewery in Saint Lucia * Surinaamse Brouwerij in Suriname *

in the United States

Asia Pacific

Heineken has 15 operating companies in

Asia Pacific Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

: * Cambodia Brewery Ltd (CBL) in Cambodia *

Shanghai Mila Brewery The Shanghai Mila Brewery is a brewery which was founded in 1987 as the Yimin Brewery in Shanghai. It was taken over by Asia Pacific Breweries Heineken Asia Pacific, formerly Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) is a Singaporean brewery company. Founde ...

in China * Hainan Asia Pacific Brewery Company Ltd in China * Guangzhou Asia Pacific Brewery in China (under construction) * United Breweries Ltd in Banglore, India * Multi Bintang Indonesia in Indonesia *

Heineken Lao Brewery Heineken Lao Brewery (HLB), previously known as Lao Asia Pacific Breweries, is a producer of beer in Laos and is based in Vientiane. It is the second brewer to be granted a beer investment license by the Government of Laos. The company was known ...

in Laos *

Heineken Malaysia Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) ( MYX: 3255) is a major producer of beer, stout, cider and non-alcoholic malt beverages in Malaysia and has been listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia since 1965. Among the brands they produce a ...

in Malaysia *

DB Breweries DB Breweries is a New Zealand–based brewing company, owned by Heineken Asia Pacific. Founded in 1930 by Sir Henry Kelliher and W Joseph Coutts, the partners purchased Levers and Co. and the Waitemata Brewery Co. in Ōtāhuhu. Asia Pacific Br ...

in New Zealand * South Pacific Brewery Ltd (SPB) in Papua New Guinea *

Heineken Asia Pacific Heineken Asia Pacific, formerly Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) is a Singaporean brewery company. Founded in 1931 as a joint venture between Heineken International and Fraser and Neave, it was renamed Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) in 1989 and given i ...

in Singapore * Heineken Lanka (APB Lanka) in Sri Lanka * Thai Asia Pacific Brewery in Thailand * Heineken Vietnam Brewery Co Ltd in Vietnam * Heineken Hanoi Brewery Co Ltd in Vietnam

Africa and the Middle East

Heineken has 18 operating companies in Africa and the Middle East. These include: * Al Ahram Beverages Company, Egypt * Amstel Jordan Brewery, Jordan *

Harar Brewery Harar Brewery is a brewery in Harar, Ethiopia, owned by Heineken N.V. The brewery produces "''Harar Beer''", a 5% ABV pale lager and "''Hakim Stout''", a 5.5% ABV stout. The brewery also makes "''Harar Sofi''", a non-alcoholic beverage that it ma ...

, Ethiopia *

Bedele Brewery Bedele (also called Buno Bedele) is a town and separate Aanaa in south-western Ethiopia. Located in the Buno Bedele Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation between above sea level. History Ras Tes ...

, Ethiopia * Bralirwa Brewery, Rwanda * Brarudi Brewery, Burundi * Brasserie Almaza, Lebanon *

Brasseries de Bourbon The Brasseries de Bourbon ("Breweries of Bourbon") is the only major producer of beer on Réunion Island, formerly known as Bourbon Island, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean. History The Brasseries de Bourbon was born out of three ...

, Réunion * Brasseries du Maroc, Morocco * Bralima Brewery, Democratic Republic of the Congo * Consolidated Breweries, Nigeria *

Heineken Kilinto Brewery Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, Ger ...

, Ethiopia * Distel, South Africa * Groupe Castel Algérie, Algeria * Namibia Breweries, Nanibia *

Nigerian Breweries Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market and West Africa. History Early years The idea to establish a brewery in Lagos was first promoted by Frank Samuel of UAC before World War II. But ...

, Nigeria * Société nouvelles des Brasseries SONOBRA, Tunisia * Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, Sierra Leone * Sedibeng Brewery, South Africa * Tango Brewery, Algeria

Beer brands

Heineken International owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly

pale lager Pale lager is a pale-to- golden lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. In the mid-19th century, Gabriel Sedlmayr took British pale ale brewing and malt making techniques back to the Spaten Bre ...

, though some other

beer style Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book ...

s are produced. The two largest international brands are

and

; though the portfolio includes

Birra Moretti Birra Moretti () is an Italian Brewery, brewing company, founded in Udine in 1859 by Luigi Moretti. In 1996, the company was acquired by Heineken N.V. The brewing plant in Udine was sold to the newly formed Birra Castello S.p.A., and the beer i ...

, Edelweiss, Lagunitas, Sol, Desperados and

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

. Other regional brands include

Affligem Affligem (; anciently written Afflighem) is a municipality located some west-north-west of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the city of Aalst and the important railway junction of Denderleeuw. Affligem is situa ...

Gösser Gösser () beer is the main brand of Göss Brewery in Leoben, one of the largest and most-well known in Austria. The brewery is part of Brau Union, the largest Austrian brewer, whose majority shareholder is the Dutch brewing company Heineken. His ...

and Sagres in Europe,

Red Stripe Red Stripe is a 4.7% ABV pale lager brewed by Desnoes & Geddes in Jamaica and the Netherlands. Since 2015 Red Stripe has also been brewed in the United Kingdom by Heineken under licence from Desnoes & Geddes. It was first introduced in 1928 fr ...

and

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, Bintang,

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

and South Pacific Export in Asia-Pacific.

Ownership

The shares of Heineken N.V are traded on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam and

OTCQX OTC Markets Group, Inc. (formerly known as National Quotation Bureau, Pink Sheets, and Pink OTC Markets) is an American financial services corporation that operates a financial market providing price and liquidity information for almost 12,400 o ...

under the symbols: HEIA and HEINY respectively. As at May 2023, the shareholding in the group's stock was as depicted in the table below: # Heineken Holding N.V is a public company listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. Its single investment is Heineken N.V. It is majority owned by L’Arche Green N.V an investment vehicle of the Heineken family and the Hoyer family.

Marketing

Advertising

Heineken's main advertising slogan in the UK was "Refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach", some of which featured voice-over narration by Danish comedian/pianist

Victor Borge Børge Rosenbaum (; 3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish and American actor, comedian, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in both North America and Europe. Hi ...

. The British TV campaign ran for over 30 years – stopping in 2005. From March 2011 they have been advertising using the song 'The Golden Age' by

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour The Asteroids Galaxy Tour is a Danish pop band consisting of vocalist Mette Lindberg and songwriter/producer Lars Iversen, formed in 2007. When performing live, the band extends to a five-piece, featuring Mikkel Balster Dørig (guitar), Simon Li ...

. After the success of The Entrance, a web advert (4M views in YouTube), Heineken launched The Date in May 2011. In March 2017 in Amsterdam, Heineken opened a pop-up bakery for five days to promote the yeast used in its brewing. The bread was made by Mark Plaating and proceeds were donated to a local baking guild.

Sponsorships

Heineken sponsors several sporting events. The

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

was an annual

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

knock-out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several Contact sports, full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of World Taekwondo Federation#Sparri ...

competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the Six Nations:

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Heineken was the title sponsor from the cup's

inaugural In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

tournament in 1995–96, until the tournament ceased in 2014 and was replaced by the Champions Cup. Heineken continued its sponsorship of European Club Rugby as the principle partner of the

European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pr ...

returning to title sponsorship of the Champions Cup from 2018–19. They have been credited as the ''Founding Partner of European Rugby''. Heineken can 2011 UEFA Champions League Final

Heineken can 2011 UEFA Champions League Final

Heineken has been an integral partner of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

since 2005, with a theme of "Enjoyed together around the world." The Heineken Open (tennis) is a tennis tournament on the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP International Series Tournaments, International Series played in Auckland, New Zealand. Heineken also sponsors the music events: the Heineken Open'er Festival, a contemporary music festival held in Poland; and, since 2004, the Oxegen music festival in Ireland. Heineken sponsors the Ballyheigue Summerfest in County Kerry, Ireland. In 2016, Heineken became the Official Beer of the Formula One World Championship after the 2016 Canadian Grand Prix, Canadian Grand Prix. During the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League knockout phase, knockout stage of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, 2019–20 season, Heineken 0,0% became the official beer of the UEFA Europa League as the season resumed followed with the start of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, 2020–21 season.

Holland Heineken House

Since 1992 Heineken organises, together with NOC*NSF, the Dutch meeting place at all the Olympic Games, called the Holland Heineken House.

Heineken Experience

The

is a museum about Heineken Pilsener and the Heineken brewery, based in the original brewery in

. The original building was built in 1867, and was in use as a brewery until 1988. In 1991, when part of the establishment was torn down, the Heineken Reception and Information Centre () was opened in the remaining building. In 2001 the name was changed to Heineken Experience. The museum features "rides", interactive exhibits, and two bars. It also gives an insight into the company's history and brewing processes through the years. Visitors receive one small tasting glass and two full-sized glasses of Heineken beer to drink at the end of the tour, both paid for by the 21 euro entry fee.

Controversies

Possible ties to the slave plantations

On 15 February 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought De Hooiberg (the Haystack) brewery in Amsterdam. It remains unclear whether the funds for the purchase of the Haystack came from his father, a cheese trader, or his mother, whose estate included proceeds from her previous husband’s family’s historical investments in West Indies slave plantations. In a letter to his mother 18 June 1863, Gerard discussed the potential Haystack purchase and his plans for the future. Gerard’s mother, Anna Geertruida van de Paauw, came to own shares in slave plantations in Berbice (modern day Guyana) and Suriname through her first marriage in 1829 to Pieter Jacob Schumacher van Oudorp (1804–1833) who died in 1833. The Schumacher family owned several plantations in Berbice and Suriname, according to records held at the UK’s National Archive. After Pieter Schumacher died, Anna was remarried to Cornelis Heineken and had four children, one of which was Gerard Heineken. Anna died in 1881.

Price fixing

On 18 April 2007 the European Commission fined Heineken €219.3m, Grolsch €31.65m and Bavaria Brewery (Netherlands), Bavaria €22.85m for operating a cartel, price fixing cartel in the Netherlands, totalling €273.7m. InBev, (formerly Interbrew), escaped without a penalty because it provided "decisive information" about the cartel which operated between 1996 and 1999 and others in the EU market. The brewers controlled 95% of the Dutch market, with Heineken claiming a half and the three others 15% each. Neelie Kroes said she was "very disappointed" that the collusion took place at the very highest (boardroom) level. She added, Heineken, Grolsch, Bavaria and InBev tried to cover their tracks by using code names and abbreviations for secret meetings to carve up the market for beer sold to supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and cafes. The price fixing extended to cheaper Store brand, own-brand labels and Rebate (marketing), rebates for bars. In 2004 Heineken and Kronenbourg (then part of

), the two dominant brewers in France, were fined €2.5m – with the penalty reduced for co-operating.

Fake craft beers

, Heineken briefly marketed "Blasket Blonde" in County Kerry from March 2015 to September 2016, and ''Beanntraí Bru'' in parts of County Cork in August 2016, as locally-made craft beers, from invented breweries.

Investments in Russia

At the end of March 2022, over a month after Russia started its war in Ukraine, Heineken announced that it was leaving Russia (including with its other brands there, like

, Amstel Brewery, Amstel etc.), saying that ownership of the Russian subsidiary was no longer “durable or viable.” But despite this promise Heineken hired more than 240 new staff and launched 61 new products on the Russian market in the last year, investigators from ''Follow the Money'' reported, based on an overview of 2022 by Heineken Russia. The Dutch brewer's Russian subsidiary looked back on “a turbulent year, with many new growth opportunities.” One of these opportunities being the departure of The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, Pepsi from Russia, which Heineken "cynically" used to "enter the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage market". Heineken announced more investments for 2023, including more modern packaging and new flavors. New products launched in Russia included an Irish stout, replacing Guinness (which had been brewed and sold by Heineken, under licence), after Diageo withdrew from Russia. In August 2023, Heineken announced the sale of its Russian subsidiary to the