Heineken NV, one of the most multinational beers in the world. Heineken beer is drunk worldwide and is active in 178 countries. Heineken is produced in more than 140 breweries in 71 different countries.
Gerard Adriaan Heineken’s Heineken
The origins of Heineken
Gerard Adriaan Heineken was born in Amsterdam (September 28, 1841 – March 18, 1893). Gerard Heineken decided to buy a brewery at the age of 22. On February 15, 1864 he bought the brewery “De Hooiberg” on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam for eighty thousand guilders. This brewery only gave the name Heinekens Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij in ’73. In Germany, the majority of beer brewers switched from top-fermented to bottom-fermented beer. In 1886 the new basis for Heineken beer was developed for Gerard Adriaan Heineken. The Heineken A yeast. This yeast is still the basis for all Heineken beer that was introduced in 1887.
Collaboration and acquisitions
Business went well for Mr. Heineken and within a few years he created two new, more modern breweries. In 1867 a new office was opened in Amsterdam. Six years later in 1973, his third brewery was opened in Rotterdam.
Following plans by the Rotterdam brewery d’Oranjeboom to start brewing bottom-fermented, Heineken made a proposal to director W. Baartz to collaborate. Baartz accepted this proposal, after which the NV was a fact.
Gerard Adriaan Heineken had the ingenious idea from the start to conclude cooperation contracts with local brewers. He offered to distribute Heineken, which made it cheaper.
The first World War
The end of the First World War was a golden development for Heineken. Prohibition in America was brought to a halt. Heineken beer was the first beer that its ships had shipped to America. Since then, Heineken has been the most successful imported beer brand. This was followed by a number of acquisitions of Heineken. They took over large brewers and then closed them. The market share was thus significantly increased.
Freddy Heineken’s Heineken
Alfred Henry Heineken’s career with his family business
At the age of eighteen, Alfred Henry (Freddy) Heineken started working full-time at his grandfather’s company. However, in 1941 the company was no longer in his family’s possession. He bought back the shares a few years after joining Heineken. As a result, Freddy had bought more than 50% of the shares for his family. So the business was back in the family. In 1951 Alfred Heineken was awarded a promotion. He became a commissioner. Seven years later this became delegated supervisory director. He also entered the board of directors in 1964. Where he became “Chairman of the Supervisory Board and delegated member of the Supervisory Board Heineken Holding NV”.
Freddy provided the campaign motto “Delicious, clear, Heineken”. He also invented the “laughing e” in Heineken. Freddy once said that he would have gone into marketing if he hadn’t had a career at Heineken.
Expansion into an international concern
Freddy Heineken has expanded the company into an international concern. That started with a merger with the Amsterdam beer Amster. Until the day of the merger, this was Heineken’s biggest competitor. The Limburg Brand beer is also taken over. This step will make Heineken the largest in the Dutch beer market.
The Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken
On November 9, 1983 at 6:56 pm Freddy Heineken and his driver Ab Doderer are kidnapped by Cor van Hout, Willem Holleeder, Jan Boellaard and Frans Meijer. Cor van Hout and his men demanded 35 million guilders, the amount was paid. But the two prisoners were not released. Two days later the hostages were freed by the police.