van Munching windmill
DEDICATED
at new brewery in holland
The Man from Holland
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Mr. L. van Munching, President of
Van Munching 8c Co., Inc., the ex
clusive importers of Heineken Beer
in the U.S., was recently honored in
Holland by Mr. Alfred Heineken and
Directors of Heineken Brouwerijen,
B.V. A restored, historic windmill lo
cated on the park-like grounds of the
newest Heineken brewery in Zoeter-
woude, The Netherlands, was dedi
cated to Mr. van Munching for his
great efforts and accomplishments in
making Heineken Holland Beer "The
#1 Imported Beer in the U.S.A."
In his dedication speech to Mr. van
Munching, Mr. Alfred Heineken,
Chairman of the Heineken Board, said
that "it is a special personal honor, and
a great pleasure to present this wind
mill to you on behalf of the Executive
Board of our company as a symbol of
gratitude for the impressive task which
you have accomplished for our Heine
ken company in America. This wind
mill will be a monument to the man
whose sound business acumen, ample
will power, great perseverance, and
charming personality created a special
image for the Heineken brand in his
great country."
Mr. van Munching was then given
the honor of unveiling the handsome
commemorative plaque affixed to the
"Barremolen" ("Barre Mill") After
the dedication, Mr. van Munching was
presented with a golden key to the
The man from Holland, Mr. L. van
Munching, President of Van Munching
8c Co., Inc., came to the United States
in 1933 as a representative for the
Heineken Breweries in the Nether
lands. He arrived in New York on
April 8th, the day after prohibition
ended, with 50 cases and 24 quarter
barrels of Heineken Holland Beer.
He found himself alone, with the
difficult task of selling Heineken in
a country new to him, where few
knew of this Heineken Holland Beer;
and where a great economic depression
was occurring. Even his own initial
bank deposit of $10,000 was lost in a
few months when the bank failed. A
less determined man might have
booked passage for a return trip home.
But with tremendous courage, and
his enthusiastic belief in the unusual
qualities of Heineken Beer, Mr. van
Munching stayed and persevered.
The first few years in this country
were indeed difficult for him, but he
soon learned the aggressive American
methods of selling. And after the first
year, his one-man sales efforts began
to show definite results. It took three
years to secure a large wholesale dis
tributor for Heineken in New York
City, and then he traveled to other
major American cities Chicago, Los
Angeles, Houston, Miami to ar
range for more Heineken distribution
through wholesale houses.
By 1939, Heineken was available in
many large cities across the nation,
and sales had reached 90,000 cases.
Mr. van Munching had also persuaded
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Mr. Alfred Heineken Mr. L. van Munching
Mr. Leo van Munching, President