How it all began
The roots of the Heineken brand reach back to the 16th century.
For most people it is difficult not to imagine a typical green bottle with the distinctive label and a dewy glass full of refreshing beer when they hear the word Heineken.
The roots of the Heineken brand reach back to the 16th century. In 1592 right in the heart of Amsterdam the Haystack brewery had been established that later on became owned by the Heineken dynasty who turned it into the cornerstone in building their successful brewing empire.
The brewery’s history recorded a break in 1864 when the loss-making company was bought by the young, ambitious, then only a 22-year-old man, Gerard Adriaan Heineken. Even though he lacked any previous experience in brewing, his foes’ visions predicting his failure did not come true. Soon the production was doubled. The flavour and the quality have been improved and have remained unsurpassed up to the present. The discovery of bottom fermentation in 1884 allowed for brewing a transparently clear beer with prolonged lifespan. Experiments carried out by Doctor H. Elion, a Louis Pasteur`s student, brought the special A-yeast that became fundamental in the quality fermentation of Heineken beer and that is still used in all the 110 breweries all over the world where it is regularly transported under strict shipping conditions so as to maintain the consistent quality of the beer.
In 1889 the Heineken green label was registered as the official trade mark.
At that time exports to western European countries boosted.
In the same year Heineken won the Grand Prix de Paris and became the exclusive supplier of the Eiffel Tower restaurant.
The following year Heineken, the beer of superior quality, reached the world markets.
The sale volumes continued to grow after 28-year-old Henry Pierre Heineken, Gerard Heineken’s son, took over the leadership of the company in the war year of 1914.
His business attitudes distinctly differed from those of his father, who put stress on the profit and consumer market. Henry considered especially the social aspect in company management.
World War II froze the exports, thus nearly threatening the firm’s very existence. Nevertheless, the production soon recovered after the war had ended.
Due to a good marketing strategy the company was first to occupy American market after the end of Prohibition in the USA. Heineken beer was the first alcoholic beverage to legally set foot on the New World’s soil. It has been the country’s most popular beer ever since.
1946 was the year of celebrations and achievements in the Heineken company and family. The leading position devolved upon Henry’s son Alfred Henry Heineken who considered bearing the name of Heineken the greatest honour of his life. He dedicated all his lifetime to promoting and enhancing the brand.
Alfred gained the necessary experience studying and staying abroad. He was a young man of great potential, full of creative ideas, who understood the power of advertising that was, is and will be the synonym of prosperity as it enables to quickly inform the masses in an incredibly short time.
Moreover, he dared to take a risk. In 1954 he put through a change of both the label, the original red label was replaced by the elegant, strong and reliable green one, and the Heineken lettering with the famous “smiling e”.
Succeeding Alfred Heineken, certainly a man of distinctive personality, the leadership was taken over by his equally talented daughter Charlene who assumed the responsibility and became the representative of tradition. It was a challenge even though her father had initiated her into the company management and brewing secrets from her early age. Charlene worked for Heineken at various places in the Netherlands and France. She took over the leadership of the company determined to continue its current course.
