Hollandia is a pale lager brand owned by Royal Swinkels Family Brewers. Throughout its existence, the Dutch company continues to be a family business, its turnover is about 713 million euros per year. In Russia, Hollandia beer is produced by the Moscow Brewery according to the original recipe and in full compliance with all technologies.
Historical information
Royal Swinkels Family Brewers (formerly Bavaria Brewery) is headquartered in Lieshout in the province of North Brabant. The history of the company dates back to 1680, the first mention of the Dick Vereyken brewery in tax documents dates back to this time. The company was passed down from father to daughter for three generations. In 1764, the great-granddaughter of the first owner, Bridget, married Ambrosius Swinkels, and nine years later the couple became full owners of the brewery.
For a long time, the company produced products only for the local market. The situation changed in 1890, when Jan Swinkels signed his first contract for the supply of beer to the city of Helmond, which was located ten kilometers from the brewery. This made it possible to double sales volumes, and by 1923 the plant could no longer cope with the load due to increased demand. The owners built a new building and timed the name change to coincide with the move. From that time on, the company became known as Bavaria, which was associated with the assortment – most of it was bottom-fermented light beer (Bavarian lager).
In 1933, the first bottling line was launched at the enterprise, and Bavaria products began to be sold in all major cities of the country. Just before the start of the Second World War, their own malthouse was built. This was followed by a ten-year decline due to the hostilities that unfolded in Europe, but by 1959 the company had reached pre-war volumes and since then has only increased the scale of production.
Over time, the company took the second place in the Netherlands after Heineken. The company is engaged in the production of malt and supplies it to European breweries. The Swinkels family owns seven large enterprises, one of which is located in Ethiopia. In 2018, management decided to rename the company to Swinkels Family Brewers. The seventh generation of the family is already at the helm.
Interesting Facts
- In March 2019, the company was officially announced as the supplier of the royal court of the Netherlands and received the right to add the prefix Royal to the name. The event was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the company.
- In 2010, the company paid for tickets to the World Cup for 36 blonde girls who attended the Netherlands-Denmark match in orange miniskirts. Such actions were contrary to the FIFA rules regarding advertising, so the fans were removed from the stadium and sent to the police station. The girls were released only after negotiations between the company’s management and FIFA representatives.
Characteristics of Hollandia beer, 4,8%
The original beer is brewed in a factory located in the southern part of the Netherlands. The company uses its own malt and pure spring water. The strength of the Dutch lager is 5%. The Moscow Brewery has been producing the Hollandia brand since 2014. Russian brewers follow the original recipe exactly. The drink is golden in color and has a rich aroma of malt and hops. The taste is refreshing with grain and fruit notes at the start and bitterness in the aftertaste.
