NEW CRATES FOR HEINEKEN
IN THE NETHERLANDS AND GREECE
From yellow to
familiar green
the
The Netherlands and
Greece, the two last coun
tries in the world where
Heineken beer is packaged
in yellow crates, are chang
ing to green crates. In the
Netherlands the operation
started in September and is
expected to be complete
within a few months. The
Athenian Brewery in Greece
has opted for a gradual
transition that will take
place over several years.
In the Netherlands 4.6 million green
crates will replace 5 million yellow
crates. This reduction in number is
possible because of the continuing
improvements to the logistics pro
cesses. The turnover speed has incre
ased over the years and has resulted
in the need for fewer crates.
Heineken Nederland says the cra
tes need to be replaced because after
twelve years of intensive use the yel
low crates are too badly damaged. In
addition, the trademark on the crates
has become outdated and in some
cases has disappeared entirely.
It is not surprising that the transi
tion to green has been made. Over
the years, the colour green has deve
loped into a worldwide trademark
for Heineken. It can therefore also
provide strong support for the brand
image in the Netherlands. The new
crate holds 24 x 30cl bottles, has a
central handle and the side of the
crate bears the entire Heineken logo
- the star, bar and hops.
To bring the changes to the consu
mer's attention Heineken has started
an outdoor campaign with the slo
gan "The Netherlands is getting even
greener". In addition, a 140m train
toured the Netherlands for ten days
with giant green crates, 3 x 2.44 x
1.90 meters, five hundred times the
size of a normal crate.
