He persuaded his wealthy mother to buy the distillery of a popular working-class beer: Who is Gerard Adriaan Heineken?

It was 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken, a young entrepreneur, founded Heineken by purchasing an old brewery with the money he borrowed from his mother.

By William James Published on 10 Haziran 2024 : 15:28.
He persuaded his wealthy mother to buy the distillery of a popular working-class beer: Who is Gerard Adriaan Heineken?

Over time, his company grew worldwide and took its current form after surviving economic crises and wars. There are 125 brands belonging to Heineken, operating in 70 countries around the world.

Exactly 154 years ago, a young Dutch entrepreneur named Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery with some money borrowed from his mother.

Dr Elion (a student of Louis Pasteur) founded Heineken HBM (Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij) to develop yeast for Bavarian bottom fermentation and the first Heineken brand beer was produced. In 1875 Heineken won the Medaille d'Or at the International Maritime Exposition in Paris, after which it began to be shipped there regularly.

On 15 February 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken (1841–1893) bought De Hooiberg (The Haystack) brewery on the Nieuwezijds Achterburgwal canal in Amsterdam, a popular working class brand founded in 1592. In 1873 after hiring a Dr. Elion (student of Louis Pasteur) to develop Heineken a yeast for Bavarian bottom fermentation, the HBM (Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij) was established, and the first Heineken brand beer was brewed.

Heineken, which ceased to be a locally operating company towards the end of the 1920s, entered the American and Asian markets for the first time. Expanding its operations in Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Russia in the following years, the beer giant captured 9% of the world's beer market share in 2016. In addition, it strengthened its brand by acquiring many local and global beer companies such as Amstel, Tecate, FEMSA, Asia Pacific Breweries, and Fosters.

Brand identity

Defining itself as a global brand, Heineken appears to be trying to maintain its current structure in the countries where it operates. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of his institution's history and principles. The company highlights fun, passion, and respect as its core values ​​at every opportunity. It is necessary to expand the "respect" point a little. Heineken believes that society and humanity should be respected while having fun. We can also see this in the company's slogan "Enjoy Responsibly".

We talked about Heieneken's interest in its corporate history. One of the best examples at this point is the "Heineken Experience" in Amsterdam. The company turned the first brewery purchased by Gerard Heineken into a beautiful museum where the history of Heineken is told. Those who enter the museum can see the giant cauldrons showing how beer was made in the 19th century and more, and have a nice Heineken experience by taking advantage of the free drink given to them.

Corporate design is also very important for Heineken, which is trying to position itself as a high-class beer brand. Heieneken is remembered for its color referred to in the literature as "Heieneken Green" and its logo with a red star. So much so that the company cannot use the Heineken name on advertising signs in Champions League matches played in countries where alcohol advertising is banned, but only uses the red star rising above the green color.

The story of Gerard Adriaan Heineken

Gerard Adriaan Heineken founded and named a brewery in Amsterdam city center in 1873, thus Heineken's story began 150 years ago. Heineken has embraced the latest beer innovations since its founding, becoming the first brewer on the planet to establish a quality control laboratory in the 1870s.

Heineken has won many awards over the years using its own yeast called A-Yeast®. Heineken is sold in more than 190 countries around the world. It became the first imported beer to enter the country in 1933, after the United States alcohol prohibition.

Heineken has used the slogan "We don't just sell beer, we sell fun" for years, and they have underlined this slogan.