A tradition of passion for quality
World of Heineken 38 - summer 2008
Attention to maintaining the premium quality of Heineken beer has always
been of the utmost importance. Since 1883, Heineken has built customised
laboratories at all of its breweries, dedicated to maintaining the quality of
the product and providing consumers with the best beer possible. World
renowned physicists and bacteriologists were employed to develop a
stringent quality control system for Heineken laboratories. It was at one of
these facilities that Dr H. Elion, a former student of Louis Pasteur, cultivated
the Heineken A-yeast in 1886. The yeast is still used around the world for
brewing Heineken and gives the brand its unique flavour.
"The Laboratory Star System has become the
worldwide standard for our brewery laboratories," says
Eric Welten. "The policy is now being implemented at all
of the company's breweries worldwide."
Over the next few years, brewery laboratories around
the world will be nominated a Star rating, either
a one-Star or two-Star facility. A single Star rating
is the minimum level and covers all the technical
skills required in the laboratory for analytical,
microbiological as well as sensory tests. With a two-Star
rating, managerial aspects are also included, which
will lead to a continual quality improvement in the
laboratory. Breweries that brew or bottle either the
Heineken or Amstel brands locally must have a two-Star
rating.
"In order to implement the Laboratory Star System, SAS
periodically sends specialists to the regions to establish
and support special laboratory hubs," says Eric. "In
each of the company's five global regions, SAS will
assist in getting four such laboratories going, each with
a two-Star rating. Using a 'train the trainer' principle,
these regional hubs will be responsible for further roll
outs of the system in the other breweries. At present,
we are working on getting the Asia Pacific, Western
Europe and Central Eastern Europe regions going.
Africa and the Middle East will be equipped next year
with the Americas following closely behind."
Brau Union's central laboratory in Linz functions as a
regional hub, supporting other labs across Central and
Eastern Europe and conducting regular audits of the
region's facilities. "The Laboratory Star System has
two objectives: defining a worldwide standard for beer
quality control, and streamlining the responsibilities of
product testing," Helmut Klein from Austria concludes.
"Heineken operations around the world are being
empowered to play a stronger role in the quality
control process. This will enable a more efficient
application of resources and ultimately delivering a
better quality product to the consumer."
eric, welten @heineken.com
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