Heineken International is a Dutch brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2007, Heineken owns over 119 breweries in more than 65 countries^[2] and employs approximately 54,004 people. It brews and sells more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers, including Cruzcampo, Tiger Beer, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Birra Moretti, Ochota, Murphy’s, Star and of course Heineken Pilsener. Heineken claims that the original Heineken recipe has not changed since the beer was first produced nearly 150 years ago.

With an annual beer production of 139.2 million hectoliters^[2], Heineken ranks as the third largest brewery in the world after SABMiller and InBev, based on revenue. Heineken’s Dutch breweries are located in Zoeterwoude, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Wijlre. The original brewery in Amsterdam, closed in 1988, is preserved as a museum called Heineken Experience.

HISTORY

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 Amsterdam. In 1873 the brewery’s name changed to Heineken’s Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij (HBM), and opened a second brewery in Rotterdam in 1874. In 1886 Dr. H. Elion, a pupil of the French chemist Louis Pasteur, developed the “Heineken A-yeast” in the Heineken laboratory. This yeast is still the key ingredient of Heineken beer. In 1887 Heineken switched to the use of bottom-fermenting yeast.

The founder’s son, Henry Pierre Heineken, 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. Henry Pierre’s son, Alfred Henry “Freddy” Heineken, started working at the company in 1940, and 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.

After World War I, the company focused more and more on export. Three days after Prohibition ended in the United States, the first Heineken shipment landed as the first legal shipment of beer. From that day on, Heineken has remained one of the most successful imported beer brands in the United States.

EXPANSION

During this period, Heineken tried to increase its stock price by purchasing competing breweries and closing them down. After World War II, many small breweries were bought or closed. In 1968 Heineken merged with its biggest competitor, Amstel, and in 1975 opened a new brewery in Zoeterwoude. The Amstel brewery was closed in 1980, and its production moved to Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch.

HEINEKEN BEER BRANDS

Heineken International owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Amstel; though the portfolio includes Cruzcampo, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, and Birra Moretti. Recently Heineken added a cider blend named Jillz to their list of brands. Since mid 2007, Heineken has also taken ownership of former S&N International brands such as Strongbow and Bulmers Ciders and John Smith’s and Newcastle Brown Ale.

HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE

The Heineken Experience is a museum about Heineken Pilsener and the Heineken brewery, based in the original brewery in Amsterdam. The 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 Treat and Information Centre (Dutch: Heineken ontvangst- en informatiecentrum) 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 one full-sized glass of Heineken beer to drink at the end of the tour, both paid for by the 15 euro entry fee.

The Experience closed for refurbishment in October 2007 and reopened December 2008