ft
York, Leo Jr. moved to California to
structure the Van Munching business
for the third time. In 1972 he returned
to New York and became Vice-
President Sales. In that year Van
Munching sold almost three million
cases.
Light
In the mid-1970s the light beer
segment suddenly started to develop
in the U.S. Father and son Van
Munching watched the market for a
while to see which direction it would
take and at the end of the 1970s they
felt that the market was ripe for an
imported light beer. Brewing experts
at Heineken set to work to develop a
light beer. In 1980 Amstel Light was
introduced on the American market.
Sales in the first years could not be
described as particularly good.
Nevertheless, Leo van Munching Jr
kept faith in the product and its chan
ces. In a 1988 interview with The
World of Heineken he explained why
sales were disappointing in the initial
years: "Basically we were developing
an entirely new segment with Amstel
Light: it was the first import light beer
in the U.S. It's gratifying to see
that Amstel Light is now in the top ten
amongst the imported beers and is in
fact number one in the (import) light
segment."
Acquisition
In 1990 Heineken announced its
acquisition of Van Munching Co.
Inc. Following a period of more than
fifty years of close cooperation, Leo
van Munching Jr. decided to sell the
business to Heineken. In an interview
he said: "A name isn't something you
simply sell. The only one I would ven
ture to sell to was Heineken. The
opportunities for all products in the
portfolio. "The sales department has
been restructured and we have split
this vast country into four regions so
that we can get even closer to our
customers than in the past. With solid
thinking and good people, success is
here for the taking in the U.S. Thanks
to the strong position currently held
by our brands we can concentrate on
our ideal: making Heineken into the
leading premium beer brand in the
U.S. If we are able to improve our dis
tribution further and focus more on
the younger consumers (21 to 34 year
olds) we are sure to succeed. And it
goes without saying that I also have a
personal ambition: I want this compa
ny to be the envy of the entire U.S.
beer business."
IMPORTED
relationship with Heineken was
always harmonious. In the end it's
better for me, for my family, for Van
Munching Co. and for Heineken."
Leo van Munching Jr stayed at the
helm of his business until the end of
1993. Michael Foley, formerly general
manager of the Heineken operating
company Murphy Brewery Ireland,
took over the helm on January 1,1994
with the certainty that Heineken
products have been given a solid
basis in the United States. A basis
which is absolutely essential as a plat
form for creating new opportunities.
And Michael Foley still sees ample
