FLAG DAY Quality the keyword at Murphy's Ireland General Manager F. van der Minne, in a speech he made some time ago, described the dedication to quality as one of the pillars on which the success of Murphy's Brewery in Ireland is built. We talked about quality and quality control with Colin Johns, whose work as a brewer means he is closely involved in making a good product. Purity Expensive operation Cameroun's International Brasserie (in which Heineken has a 34% interest) currently has the Amstel Award on display in a prominent place in the brewery. The brewery's management received this distinction in Douala at the end of June in recognition of the great efforts by the entire personnel of International Brasserie in helping to make Amstel beer an outstanding success in Cameroun in a short space of time. Contribution Third place PAGE 2 HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NR. 15 Building work at Heineken's head office in Amsterdam is progressing steadily. Two months ago the flag was raised to celebrate completion of the topmost point of the building. Executive Board members Mr. Coebergh and Mr. Oostra, together with architect H.M. Fennis, hoisted the Heine- ken flag during typical Dutch weather conditions (see photo). Afterwards construction workers received the traditional gift of 'topping-out beer' for reaching the highest point. The new wing of the building should be ready by about the end of the year. After that the head office premises, meanwhile in use for almost twenty years, will be thoroughly renovated. All the building work should be finished by the summer of 1989. "Quality control obviously starts even before the brewing process - with the choice of our raw materials suppliers. Our malt comes from Ireland and the hop extract is imported from Kent in England. When a shipment of malt arrives the laboratory evaluates the malt's quality. That quality inspection is very important. A poorer quality malt hampers the brewing process and may result in a poor finished product. The malt quality also influences the quantity of beer you can brew with it", explains Mr. Johns. The laboratory also tests the water as it enters the brewery and after it has been processed to make it suitable for use as brew water. This examination is aimed at check ing both the microbiological and the mineral composition. Another aspect checked by the laboratory is the purity of the yeast for both Heineken lager and Murphy's Stout. Samples for testing in the labora tory are also taken during fermen tation and storage. Special tests are used to make sure that the unripe beer has not perhaps become infected or contaminated. The laboratory staff may have completed their work after the inspection at the end of the filling line, but quality assurance does not stop at the brewery gate. At the point of consumption - in Ireland this is in the pub in 94% of all cases - Heineken lager and Murphy's Stout must still be in prime condi tion. Good dispensing installations can help a great deal to ensure quality. Michael Foley, Murphy's Commercial Manager: "We're working hard to improve our technical support. It's an expensive operation; it costs us two and a half million pounds a year. But it is essential to guarantee the good quality of our products." The intention is that every publi can who serves Heineken lager and or Murphy's Stout can in future count on his dispensing equipment being cleaned once a month. The entire operation is scheduled to start at the end of next year. First Amstel Award for International Brasserie The Amstel Award proves that International Brasserie is moving with its times. To qualify for the Amstel Award Heineken's affiliated breweries have to meet two criteria: achieving an above-average sales growth, and brewing a product of high quality. Thanks to the excellent quality of the Amstel beer brewed in Cameroun, a well organised distribution system and a first-rate sales department, International Brasserie's sales of Amstel were lifted to the impressive volume of 100,000 hectolitres last year. The Amstel Award was presented by Mr. J.E.M. Bruning, Regional Marketing Manager of Heineken, to company chairman V. Fotso during a ceremony attended by some forty members of the personnel. Mr. Fotso, acknowl edging the contribution that the Mr. J.E.M. Bruning, Heineken Regional Marketing Manager, hands over the award to Mr. V. Fotso. brewery's management team had made towards Amstel's success, immediately handed over the present - still unwrapped - to Mr. A. Fontana, General Manager of International Brasserie. Mr. M. Lohman, Heineken's Area Marketing Manager, explains why the award went to Interna tional Brasserie. "Never before has a new brewery group (the brewery has only existed for three years, ed.) sold so much Amstel beer in such a short time. There are two reasons for the success of Amstel. First, International Brasserie makes sure that the product has a consistently high quality. Second, Amstel's international image has a strong appeal to consumers in Cameroun." How important International Brasserie's activities have meanwhile become for the Amstel brand is reflected in the current rankings of Amstel's best-selling The management team of Cameroun's International Brasserie with the Amstel Award. Left to right: Messrs. A. Fontana, General Manager, R. Youmbi, Financial Manager, J. P. Servy, Commercial Manager. Missing from this photo is L. Jolie, a Heineken employee and Technical Manager, who was on leave in Europe at the time. Mr. V. Fotso, Chairman of the Board of Directors of International Brasserie. countries outside the Netherlands. After Greece and the Netherlands Antilles, Cameroun now occupies a well-deserved third place. The brewery in Douala is now operating at top capacity, thanks to successful sales volumes of both Amstel and Mützig beer. The sharp climb in sales means that Interna tional Brasserie will have to expand. In the near future Heine ken Technisch Beheer will be supervising the extension of the brewhouse and the storage cellars and also the installation of an extra bottling line. This will guarantee that by mid-1989 the capacity will be more than ample to meet the tremendous demand. International Brasserie is obviously moving with its times. And the time element was clearly reflected in the form of the Amstel Award. The prize consisted of a pedestal clock.

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Heineken International Magazine | 1988 | | pagina 2