Heineken: The largest family-owned company in The Netherlands. What is their story?
From Hong Kong to Mexico and from Canada to South Africa; you can enjoy Heineken beers in almost 200 countries. With a production volume of more than 218 million hectoliters, Heineken is the second-largest beer brewery in the world. Many beer drinkers know that Heineken is Dutch and tastes very good. But did you also know that Heineken is the largest family business in the Netherlands? In this blog, we would like to tell you more about the brand and the family.
It all started on February 15, 1864, when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the brewery "de Hooiberg". Because of possible supply problems, the company decided to move away from the centre of Amsterdam. Heineken settled on the Stadhouderskade, in the now trendy neighbourhood "De Pijp". The brewery on Stadhouderskade closed in 1988 but is still open to the public. A must-see when in Amsterdam!
After Gerard Adriaan, Henry Heineken took over in 1909 and helped Heineken to develop its international character. Heineken took over a brewery in Brussels and from 1933 Heineken was also available in the United States. In the Netherlands, the brand bought up many competitors and was thus able to strengthen its market position further here.
Freddy Heineken, the grandson of Gerard Adriaan Heineken, managed to develop Heineken into a large international concern. Freddy gained worldwide fame through his kidnapping, which even movies were made about. After the death of Freddy Heineken in 2002, Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken inherited her father's interests and became a significant shareholder of Heineken Holding.
Today, Heineken beers are brewed in more than 140 breweries in 71 countries. "Four generations later, we are still passionate about brewing a truly premium beer. Because when it comes to the good name of your family, you try your best," Heineken writes on its website. Not only Heineken is proud of its beer, but the Dutch are too. The Amsterdam brand can be seen all over the world, and that gives many Dutch people a warm feeling of coming home in all those places. "It has been 140 years since Heineken could call itself a microbrewer. And of course, we are proud that 25 million glasses of Heineken are served every day in 192 countries, but we have never forgotten that quality is not measured by the size of your brand, but by the purity of your beer. Even when entering new markets, the unyielding drive for quality and perfection lives on in the Heineken family. Cheers!", they say.
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