Heineken has begun building a €45m research centre near its brewery in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.
When complete next summer, the “Dr HP Heineken Centre” will cover 8,800 sq m and employ staff from 12 countries.
Its job will be to develop growth strategies for brands such as Heineken, Desperados and Amstel.
It will have offices, laboratories, a “sensory research” centre and a packaging development department.
It will join the brewer’s global R&D network, which includes hubs in Mexico, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Heineken chief executive Dolf van den Brink said research had propelled the company from its inception, starting with its “A-yeast”, which he said gave its beer a unique taste.
The centre is named after Henry Pierre Heineken, son of the brewer’s founder, Gerard Adriaan Heineken.
Henry obtained his doctorate in biochemistry in 1914 and created the modern company.
The centre is near Delft University of Technology, where Heineken has a dedicated lab and invests in biotechnology research.
Professor Jack Pronk, the head of Delft’s Biotechnology Department, said the new centre would “intensify” collaboration with the brewer.
“Biotechnology has an immense potential to address global challenges and to make our future society more sustainable,” he said.
“Our staff and students are eager to contribute to this mission through cutting-edge fermentation research at the interface of academia and industry.”
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