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A long brewing tradition Heineken
A LONG BREWING TRADITION
Heineken, the third largest beer company in the world, has been present on the Hungarian market since 2004 under the name Hungária Sörgyárak Zrt. Industry Europe looks at its current position on the Hungarian market.
The company Soproni Sörgyár was established in 1985 but was taken over by Heineken in 2004 to become Heineken Hungária Sörgyárak Zrt. Hungary’s most popular beer, Soproni, is produced in the company’s two breweries, situated in Sopron and Martfű. They also, of course, produce Heineken – the world’s most internationally recognised beer – as well as the Gösser and Aranyfácán brands. Moreover, the portfolio of local produce also includes the Strongbow brand, which is one of the most widely-consumed ciders in Hungary.
Heineken has invested more than 17 billion HUF in Hungary since 2008: the Hungarian subsidiary currently employs 520 people, 200 of which are based in Sopron. In fact, owing to the company’s extensive list of suppliers and its role in the domestic hotel trade, Heineken contributes to the subsistence of 6000 people in Hungary whilst being a prominent partner to the Hungarian agriculture sector. In recent years Heineken has been using domestic suppliers to provide product packaging and therefore the group’s import demand is now significantly reduced, whilst the presence of Hungarian products in both domestic and foreign markets has increased.
Innovation and quality
Many people, when drinking beer, would not consider the level of skill and know-how that goes into making it. However, beer production is an art with a long tradition, and Heineken Hungária has implemented and kept this tradition alive in its Hungárian breweries.
The company provides an extremely high standard of service and offers quality products that are made from natural ingredients. Since 1998 Soproni has won at least one award each year from the most reputable international quality labelling institute, the Monde Selection. Hungarian breweries have always placed a great deal of emphasis on innovation so Heineken is usually among the first to launch pioneering products and implement state-of-the-art technologies.
Apart from being distributed in Hungary, the Heineken beer manufactured in Sopron is exported to six countries including markets with long-standing beer cultures such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.
As a member of the Heineken group, Heineken Hungária is committed to achieving sustainable growth. The group has developed a long-term plan to put its corporate values into business practice. The ‘Brewing a better future’ sustainability programme determines the everyday operations of the Hungarian subsidiary with the aim of making Heineken the greenest brewery in the world by 2020. With this programme, the company is determined to radically reduce its ecological footprint while meeting the stringent industry standards with regard to health & safety and environmental protection. Heineken Hungária reports on the progress of this programme in its annual Sustainability Report.
In recent years Heineken has managed to significantly reduce the specific water consumption used for production in all its breweries worldwide. Heineken Hungária is continuously focusing on the most modern production methods to protect the environment. For example, the Martfű plant was the first in Hungary to be equipped with a wastewater treatment unit, with pollution values well under the strict value limits of the Tisza river. In Martfű, the sludge from the water treatment unit is then composted and reused in agriculture. The Sopron brewery uses the latest anaerobic technology for water treatment; this enables the brewery to utilise the biogas which is generated during the water treatment process.
Social responsibility
As a beer producer, Heineken Hungária considers its main task to be raising awareness of responsible alcohol consumption, whilst at
the same time promoting beer culture as an important component of social life and gastronomy. The company supports numerous musical, sporting, artistic and social events to provide opportunities for people to meet and have a good time.
It is especially important for Heineken Hungária to support the local communities of the two cities in which its breweries are based, therefore since 2008 the company has supported two major civil initiatives each in Martfű and Sopron. Under the patronage of the city mayors, the residents of the cities are all given their vote on which events should win support from the brewery.
In 2015 Heineken organised a second meeting to discuss the economic, cultural and community building benefits of festivals. Participants included professionals for the tourism industry, civic leaders, festival organisers and representatives of leading brands. n
