INFO
Alfred Henry (Freddy) Heineken toasting his 40th anniversary in the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam,
1 June 1982
black and white photograph
h 12.6 x w 17.7 cm
Touching base with beer
It is 1 June 1982. Alfred Henry Heineken , better known as Freddy, raises a toast in the Amsterdam Heineken Brewery on the joyous occasion of his 40th anniversary in the family firm. He embarked on his career during the Second World War. Young Freddy first learned the ropes in the brewery’s Rotterdam branch where his father, Henry Pierre , was director.
A former employee wrote about this in her war diary: ‘Quite a few Germans work at the brewery. Some of them are fiercely pro-German, so you must watch your words. To my knowledge, no colleagues have ever been betrayed by them. One had the audacity to come to the office in an SA [Sturmabteilung = Nazi Party paramilitary ranks] uniform to collect for the German winter relief. Freddy Heineken walks around the office unnoticed by the Germans. He knows how to blend in and has all our sympathy.’
Expansion
From 1951, when Freddy joined the Supervisory Board, he devoted himself to the global expansion of the company. In addition to exports and advertising, company takeovers played an important role in this. The success of his approach was clearly visible at the jubilee reception in 1982: the staff surrounding him came from the three Heineken breweries (Amsterdam, Den Bosch and Zoeterwoude, into which the fourth, Rotterdam, had merged), but also from soft drink factory Vrumona in Bunnik and the Gedistilleerd en Wijn Groep in Zoetermeer. Originally a cooperative of small soft drink producers, Vrumona had been with Heineken for over twenty years by then.
Takeover
A former Vrumona employee: ‘The takeover was very laid back, although of course there were some staff cutbacks. I once saw Freddy Heineken during his visit to our Tims lemonade factory. We had to tidy up for his arrival that week. Well, he came in through one door, said he liked the office and left through the other... That was Freddy Heineken’s visit, for which we had spent days cleaning up!’
Welfare
Busy as he was, like his father Henry, Freddy attached great importance to his staff’s welfare. Foremost, he ensured good working conditions, and not only financially. For example, by the time they reached retirement age, employees were given a five-day course in a hotel with information on matters such as the state pension. After retiring, they still regularly went on special outings for senior citizens. Finally, at Heineken it’s all about having a good time. ‘While the culture at Heineken was one of hard work, you were involved in everything and there was definitely a Heineken feeling. A real family spirit,’ a former executive secretary said.
Contact
As a director, Freddy regularly tried to keep in touch with the Heineken staff from all ranks, even if for only a brief chat and drinking a beer together: this ‘contact beer’ moment became a household word.