The Netherlands: Heineken invests €45 million in global R&D centre

Heineken has revealed it has invested €45 million in a new global research and development centre in the Netherlands, The Drinks Business reported on November 12.

The plans for the construction of the site in Zoeterwoude – named the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre – will cover an area of 8,800 m² and employ staff from across 12 countries with a planned opening date of around mid-2025.

Speaking to the drinks business, Heineken’s director of research and development Hubert te Braake said: “In the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, we will work from our science foundation and combine with the craftmanship of our master brewers to create products that are both exciting but also natural, sustainable and healthy for consumers.”

The centre is also being positioned to play a crucial role in Heineken’s innovation and growth strategy for brands such as Heineken, Desperados and Amstel and will include offices, laboratories, a model service centre and sensory research and packaging development department.

The plan is for the team to also work with the brewer’s global R&D network, which includes hubs in Mexico, South Africa and Southeast Asia.

Braake told db: “Research and development fosters innovation, ensuring Heineken remain competitive and anticipate future needs. We are working on groundbreaking products and processes that address consumer needs and improve efficiency and sustainability.”

Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink said: “Since Heineken’s founding, innovation and technology have been the foundation of our success, ranging from our A-yeast, which has been providing the unique taste of Heineken since the 19th century, to the alcohol-free beer revolution led by Heineken 0.0,”

He explained: “As the beating heart within our Global R&D network, this Centre opens new possibilities to optimise flavours and processes and to bring innovative products to market. This is a crucial milestone in realising our Brew a Better World 2030 strategy, through which Heineken raises the bar and enables faster progress towards a net zero, and a fairer, healthier world.”

The location of the R&D Centre in Zoeterwoude will be next to the largest brewery in Europe and near the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The global brewer has outlined that its previous successes developed in Zoeterwoude include Heineken 0.0, the Draught Keg, and the horizontal fermentation system that “creates Heineken’s distinctive flavour”. It also noted that Zoeterwoude is also “where Heineken is already working on sustainability initiatives, such as installing the sector’s first large-scale e-boiler”.

Van den Brink pointed out that “by choosing Zoeterwoude as location for the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, Heineken underscores its commitment to the Netherlands and contributes to maintaining the Netherlands as a leader in food technology”.

The collaboration with TU Delft, where the brewery has established a Heineken laboratory and invests in biotechnological research, is also anticipated to further strengthen the new facility, providing opportunities for Master’s and PhD students to contribute to innovative projects.

Jack Pronk, professor and head of the Biotechnology Department at Delft University of Technology said: “The new Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre provides unique possibilities for further intensifying our collaboration with Heineken on biotechnology-based innovations in brewing.”

Pronk added: “Biotechnology has an immense potential to address global challenges and to make our future society more sustainable. Our staff and students are eager to contribute to this mission through cutting-edge fermentation research at the interface of academia and industry.”

Heineken has also previously established partnerships with leading universities around the world, such as Wageningen University & Research, University of Cork in Ireland, Stellenbosch in South Africa, UANL and Monterey Tech in Mexico.

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