The History of Heineken
The history of Heineken
The Heineken family entered the beer business in 1864, when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Over the past 140 years, three generations of the Heineken family have built and expanded the brand and the company in Europe and around the world. It is thanks to the leadership of Gerard, Henry and Alfred Heineken that Heineken is one of the world’s leading brewing groups. Today Charlene de CarvalhoHeineken is delegate member of the Board of directors of Heineken Holding N.V. 1864 22-year-old businessman Gerard Adriaan Heineken purchases the "The Haystack" brewery, the largest in the region. He demands and receives full control of shares, realising that sweeping and rapid changes are needed. 1868 To meet increasing consumer demand, a new brewery is built in Amsterdam at the Buitensingel. 1869 Gerard Heineken decides to switch from traditional top fermentation to the Bavarian method of bottom fermentation, a totally different technique that produces a clearer, purer beer, which keeps longer. The new beer is known for its quality and is called 'Gentleman's Beer' as opposed to 'Workman's Ale'. A decade of fierce competition begins, with several new breweries competing for the highquality beer market. Heineken must again start making cheaper workman's beers and gets into the business of cafes, hotels, and beer houses to secure purchasers. Brewers take on the role of banks, providing credit and extravagant extra benefits to win over clients. 1870 Due to the Franco-Prussian war, imports of Bavarian beer dry up, causing Heineken's sales to skyrocket. 1873 Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij N.V. (Heineken Breweries or HBM) is incorporated. Gerard Heineken is appointed President and the name 'Haystack' is replaced by Heineken. The brewery stops producing 'workman's beer'. 1874 After merging the previous year with Oranjeboom breweries, a state-of-the-art brewery is built in Rotterdam. With a work-floor of 3000 square
The Heineken family entered the beer business in 1864, when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Over the past 140 years, three generations of the Heineken family have built and expanded the brand and the company in Europe and around the world. It is thanks to the leadership of Gerard, Henry and Alfred Heineken that Heineken is one of the world’s leading brewing groups. Today Charlene de CarvalhoHeineken is delegate member of the Board of directors of Heineken Holding N.V. 1864 22-year-old businessman Gerard Adriaan Heineken purchases the "The Haystack" brewery, the largest in the region. He demands and receives full control of shares, realising that sweeping and rapid changes are needed. 1868 To meet increasing consumer demand, a new brewery is built in Amsterdam at the Buitensingel. 1869 Gerard Heineken decides to switch from traditional top fermentation to the Bavarian method of bottom fermentation, a totally different technique that produces a clearer, purer beer, which keeps longer. The new beer is known for its quality and is called 'Gentleman's Beer' as opposed to 'Workman's Ale'. A decade of fierce competition begins, with several new breweries competing for the highquality beer market. Heineken must again start making cheaper workman's beers and gets into the business of cafes, hotels, and beer houses to secure purchasers. Brewers take on the role of banks, providing credit and extravagant extra benefits to win over clients. 1870 Due to the Franco-Prussian war, imports of Bavarian beer dry up, causing Heineken's sales to skyrocket. 1873 Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij N.V. (Heineken Breweries or HBM) is incorporated. Gerard Heineken is appointed President and the name 'Haystack' is replaced by Heineken. The brewery stops producing 'workman's beer'. 1874 After merging the previous year with Oranjeboom breweries, a state-of-the-art brewery is built in Rotterdam. With a work-floor of 3000 square