you couldn't do
anything without
her permission
grandfather, father and I were
obsessive about quality
What was the driving force in Alfred Henry Heineken's life? Born
and raised within the Heineken family, his future course was
predestined. He fought resolutely to bring control of the
brewery back into the family's hands and worked untiringly to
create the conditions necessary to ensure that, after his death,
future generations of the Heineken family would continue to
carry the torch. His achievements answer the question with
absolute clarity: the driving force in Alfred Heineken's life was
to safeguard the continuity of the brewery, guaranteed by the
family's continued involvement.
The Heineken family is descended from a respected family of
merchants from Bremen in Germany, who ranked among its
leading citizens. Following in the tradition of his forebears,
Gerard Adriaan Heineken - Alfred Heineken's grandfather - went
into business in 1846, borrowing money from his mother to buy
the 'De Hooiberg' brewery, at that time the largest brewery in
Amsterdam but one which was losing money. Gerard Adriaan
knew nothing about brewing, but was convinced that he could
make the brewery a success by producing beer of the highest
quality: "Grandfather, father and I were obsessive about quality.
Compromising quality has always been anathema to us." They
regarded a bad bottle of Heineken beer as a personal affront.
Gerard Adriaan transformed Heineken into one of the largest
Dutch breweries. After his sudden death in 1893, his wife Mary
Tindal took over the management of the business. She was a
strict, authoritarian woman who continued to 'pull the strings'
until her death in 1937. "You couldn't do anything without her
permission," recalled Alfred Heineken. He recognised something
of himself in her way of working: "I have something of the General
PAGE 6
