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Heineken History
Global Operations
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In how many countries is Heineken being sold?
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How much Heineken is being sold worldwide?
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What is the position of Heineken in the United States?
Product and Packaging
Ingredients and Product Descriptions
About Heineken USA
Alcohol Policy
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Where do I find information about the Alcohol Policy?
Heineken History
In which year was Heineken founded?
The history of Heineken starts on December 16, 1863. On that day Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the De Hooiberg Brewery (The Haystack) in Amsterdam. The brewery had been in existence since the 16th century and in two centuries it had grown to become the biggest in Amsterdam. The purchase of De Hooiberg was the birth of the firm of Heineken & Co.
Is the company still owned by the family?
The family owns through L'Arche S.A. just more than half of the shares of Heineken Holding, which in turn has the majority of shares of Heineken N.V. (the parent company of Heineken USA).
What is the history of the Heineken brewery?
The history of Heineken starts on December 16, 1863 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the De Hooiberg Brewery (The Haystack) in Amsterdam. The purchase of De Hooiberg was the birth of the firm of Heineken & Co. Within a few years Gerard Adriaan increased sales so much that construction of a new brewery was necessary. On the outskirts of Amsterdam, a new brewery was built. It remained in operation until 1988 when it was eventually closed because of logistics obstacles (the steady spread of the city meant that the brewery was located in the center of Amsterdam). A large part of the brewery made way for houses. But the brewhouse and part of the storage cellars were converted into the Heineken Reception Center where more than a hundred thousand visitors a year from all parts of the world are given a guided tour. On January 4, 1873 the board of directors of Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij NV decided to build a brewery in Rotterdam as well. The Rotterdam brewery, too, eventually closed its gates in the 1970's because a brand-new brewery had been built at Zoeterwoude, mid-way between Rotterdam and Amsterdam. This brewery, Europe's most advanced started production in 1975. The brewery currently has an annual capacity of eleven million hectoliters.
What is bottom fermenting?
The fact that the business prospered was mainly due to Gerard Adriaan Heineken himself. He soon realized the great importance of the changeover in Germany from top-fermenting to bottom-fermenting beer. In bottom-fermenting, the yeast settles on the bottom instead of the top during fermentation. In 1869 he appointed the German Wilhelm Feltmann as brewmaster and traveled the length and breadth of Europe in search of the best raw materials. In the company's own laboratory, unique for the brewing world of those days, Heineken kept a watchful eye on the quality of the raw materials and the finished product. Gerard Adriaan commissioned Dr. Elion, a pupil of Louis Pasteur, to isolate the Heineken A-yeast, which he succeeded in doing in 1886. To this day this strain of yeast is used in the Heineken brewing process the world over.
How did Heineken expand to the United States?
Between the two world wars domestic beer consumption came under pressure due to the economic depression and this affected Heineken as well. The board decided to steer a new course and placed greater emphasis on looking beyond the national borders for expansion. Exports, which had already been cautiously started at the end of the nineteenth century, were energetically pursued, resulting in shipments of Heineken beer to Belgium, the United Kingdom, West Africa, to what was then the Dutch East Indies and to the West Indies. Of great importance for the premium image of the Heineken brand all over the world is the strong position that the brand holds in the United States. Thanks to an alert response, the first shipment of Heineken Beer was unloaded in Hoboken, New Jersey a mere three days after the end of Prohibition in 1933. That proved to be the start of a tremendous growth for Heineken in the U.S.
Global Operations
In how many countries is Heineken being sold?
Heineken beer is available in more than 170 countries. The company's product portfolio consists of over 80 brands although Heineken USA only imports Heineken Lager, Heineken Special Dark, Amstel Light and Buckler into the U.S. With more than 110 breweries in over 50 countries and export activities all over the world, Heineken is the most international brewery group in the world. In 1999 the total beer volume of the Heineken Group amounted to 90.9 million hectolitres, ensuring the Group's second place in the world rankings. All Heineken products imported into the U.S. are brewed in Holland.
How much Heineken is being sold worldwide?
According to our 2001 annual report, we sold 22.4 million hectoliters of Heineken and 10.8 million hectoliters of Amstel in that year.
What is the position of Heineken in the United States?
Heineken was the first brewer to export to the USA after the lifting of Prohibition in April 1933 and has built up a strong position in the US beer market. Heineken beer remains America's favorite imported European premium beer.
Product and Packaging
Can you tell me more about how beer is made?
Brewing beer is a 100% natural process. To guarantee a consistently high quality, a thorough knowledge of the brewing process is essential. Heineken beer is brewed using solely malted barley, water, hops and yeast. The malted barley is ground, mixed with water and then heated. Step by step, the temperature increases so that the starch in the malted barley is converted into sugars. Later on, during fermentation, most of these sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. After the solids have been filtered out, the result is 'wort', which is then brought to a boil. During that boiling process the brewers add the hops. Hop, a plant of which only the flower is used, gives the beer its characteristic bitter taste and improves its lifespan. After the wort has been boiled, the next step is fermentation. First, the wort has to be cooled down to 8 degrees Celsius. Yeast is added to the wort and the process of converting the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide can begin. That takes place in special fermentation tanks, where the beer remains for seven to ten days. The result is 'young beer' that – cooled down to freezing point – is pumped into storage cellars for post-fermentation. One of the goals of this storage is to improve the beer's taste and clarity and give it better keeping properties. Once storage is completed, the remaining step is filtration, after which a superb-tasting, bright and clear beer is filled into bottles, can or kegs.
What is the difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers?
In general, non-alcoholic beers are made in one of three ways: 1) a very short fermentation to get a “beery” taste but very little alcohol; 2) a normal fermentation followed by removal of alcohol by means of a selective filter; or 3)a combination of the above methods. Every brewery has his own methods and trade secrets - this is one of ours.
How do you guarantee the quality of your products?
The quality of our beers has always been the key success factor for the Heineken Group. We insist on the highest standards, no matter where our brands are brewed or consumed. Maintaining quality across many markets presents an enormous challenge in logistics, sales, business partnerships and in the brewing operation itself. Heineken breweries can call upon the expertise and support of Heineken Technical Services – our specialist in-house specialists. For decades Heineken Technical Services has designed, built and helped to operate breweries in all parts of the world. The service includes research and development work for new products, giving advice on brewing, logistics, technical staff, best practices studies and providing full feasibility and management studies for a wide range of projects.
Is Heineken the same around the world?
For Heineken beer there is no difference, it is the same high quality everywhere.
Why is the bottle size different from one country to another?
Bottle sizes are often a function of local habits. Heineken adapts its bottles to suit consumers in different markets. As an example, in the Netherlands all the brewers have decided to share the same returnable bottle. Because of its dominant leadership in the Dutch market, Heineken uses the standard brown returnable beer bottle in The Netherlands. In all the other markets, Heineken is sold in its specific green bottle.
Why do beer labels differ from one country to another?
Heineken operates in over 170 countries, many of which have different regulations on product labeling. Heineken adapts its labels to these different local requirements. Of course, the quality of the beer remains exactly the same. However, beer is a natural product and can suffer from heat and direct sun exposure if not handled/stored properly. To avoid this Heineken communicates best logistics practices to its agents and distributors.
Is it true that the Heineken Red Star on the label is a symbolic sign?
The Heineken red star is an original icon of the brand, used since the very beginning. During the Cold War in the 60s, this star was perceived as an association with communism/socialism. Therefore, we replaced it by a white star with a red outline. Since this association disappeared we are now back to the original full Heineken red star. The star was the symbol of brewers in the Middle Ages in Holland and the rest of Europe and was said to have mystical power to protect the quality of the brew.
Ingredients and Product Descriptions
What is lager?
Lager is a generic name for all sorts of light-colored beers. The name comes from Germany and means “stored” beer. Strangely enough it is not brewed in Germany but is found almost exclusively in English-speaking countries.
What is Heineken Lager?
The whole brewing process, from brewhouse and fermentation to maturation, is to be described as traditional and classic. Very strict control of the recipe and highly efficient quality control have made Heineken beer as successful as it is. The characteristics of Heineken include its fresh and fruity yeast aroma ('Heineken A-yeast') and its mildly bitter taste, enhancing the drinkability of the beer. In our marketing strategy, this beer obviously is the 'A' brand.
What are the ingredients of Heineken Lager?
The raw materials include: water, Heineken's unique A-yeast, malted barley and hops. No additives are added to any Heineken products. We do not use any wheat in our recipe. We also have a policy of not using GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) raw materials.
What are the nutritional facts for Heineken Lager?
Alcohol - 5% by volume
Carbohydrates - 11.5 grams/12 fl. oz.
Protein - 1.5 grams/12 fl. oz.
Sodium - 7.5 mg/12 fl. oz.
Calories - 150 calories/12 fl. oz.
What are ideal storage conditions?
Store in a cool and dark place; frost-free; never expose to direct sunlight or intense artificial light; store in a dry and odorless room.
Does Heineken use additives in its brewing process?
Heineken is brewed in a natural brewing process, with no additives. Its ingredients are water, barley malt, hops, and the unique Heineken A-yeast for the fermentation in the brewing process (as you may know, these are the ingredients allowed by the Reinheitsgebot).
About Heineken USA
Where is the Heineken USA corporate office?
The corporate office is located in White Plains, New York. The address is 360 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 1103; White Plains, NY 10601. We also have regional offices in Atlanta, GA; Oakbrook, IL and El Segundo, CA.
How do I apply for a job with Heineken USA?
Please send your resume to the Human Resources department at the address listed above.
How do I purchase Heineken merchandise (hats and t-shirts)?
Unfortunately we do not have a webshop or catalog available to consumers. All of our point-of-sale items are for promotional purposes.
How can I get Heineken to sponsor an event?
All proposals must be received at least six months prior to the date of the event. Prior to submitting any proposals, please note the following:
- Heineken USA does not normally promote/advertise on college campuses.
- Heineken has a corporate prohibition on supporting/sponsoring motor sports worldwide.
Can I submit an advertising idea to Heineken?
Unfortunately it is against Heineken USA’s corporate policy to accept unsolicited advertising ideas from our consumers. However, we appreciate your interest in Heineken.
Where do I find information about the Alcohol Policy?
Please go to www.heinekeninternational.com/responsibility/policies/
Alcohol Policy
Where do I find information about the Alcohol Policy?
Please go to www.heinekeninternational.com/responsibility/policies/