AB InBev vs Heineken: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: AB InBev and Heineken side by side

1. 1717AB InBev

   Sebastien Artois Takes Over Den Hoorn

   Sebastien Artois, master brewer of Den Hoorn, takes over the brewery and renames it after himself.

2. 1852AB InBev

   Anheuser & Co. Brewery Origins in St. Louis

   The Anheuser & Co. brewery in St. Louis, the forerunner of Anheuser-Busch, dates its origins to 1852.

3. 1864Heineken

   Founding of Heineken Brewery

   Gerard Adriaan Heineken purchases the De Hooiberg brewery in Amsterdam at age 22, renaming it Heineken. The brewery is small and struggling, but Heineken has a vision of brewing a superior quality lager beer.

4. 1873Heineken

   Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij Formed

   The company is incorporated as Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij and focuses on lager. The proprietary A-yeast, isolated by Dr. Hartog Elion, followed in 1886 and remains in use today.

5. 1880Heineken

   Brand Identity Innovation

   Heineken establishes the green bottle and red star as well-known brand markers, pioneering brand identity in the brewing industry. The company focuses on quality and premium positioning, allowing it to command higher prices than competitors.

6. 1893Heineken

   Death of Founder Gerard Adriaan Heineken

   Gerard Adriaan Heineken dies, leaving behind a brewery that has become one of Amsterdam's largest. The company continues under family leadership, with his son Henry Pierre Heineken taking a leading role.

7. 1917Heineken

   World War I and Interwar Expansion

   Heineken survives World War I and the interwar period by focusing on quality and selective export markets. The company begins building its international reputation as a premium Dutch lager.

8. 1945Heineken

   Post-War Reconstruction and International Expansion

   Following World War II, during which the brewery was damaged and operations severely constrained, Heineken rebuilds and begins accelerating international expansion. The company enters new export markets and establishes breweries abroad.

9. 1968Heineken

   Amstel Acquisition

   Heineken acquires Amstel, then a major Dutch competitor, significantly expanding its domestic market share and providing additional brewing capacity and brands.

10. 1975Heineken

    U.S. Premium Import Positioning

    Heineken enters the U.S. market as a premium import, positioning itself as a sophisticated European alternative to domestic lagers. The brand becomes associated with cosmopolitan, urban consumers - a positioning that defines its marketing for decades.

11. 1987AB InBev

    Artois and Piedboeuf Form Interbrew

    Belgium's two largest breweries, Brouwerijen Artois of Leuven and Brasserie Piedboeuf of Jupille, merge to form Interbrew.

12. 1988Heineken

    Birra Moretti Acquisition

    Heineken acquires Birra Moretti, adding a well-known Italian brand to the portfolio. The acquisition strengthens Heineken's Southern European presence and adds a respected local brand to the growing international portfolio.

13. 1989AB InBev

    Brazilian Investors Buy Control of Brahma

    Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira buy control of Brazilian brewer Brahma, which later combines with Antarctica to form Ambev.

14. 1990Heineken

    Cruzcampo Acquisition

    Heineken acquires Cruzcampo, expanding its presence in Spain and strengthening its position in Southern Europe. The acquisition adds a leading Spanish beer brand to the portfolio.

15. 2004AB InBev

    Interbrew and Ambev Create InBev

    Interbrew combines with Ambev, creating InBev.

16. 2008AB InBev

    InBev Acquires Anheuser-Busch

    InBev combines with Anheuser-Busch through an offer of $54.8 billion and changes its name to Anheuser-Busch InBev.

17. 2010Heineken

    FEMSA Beer Operations Acquisition

    Heineken acquires FEMSA's beer operations in a transformative deal that gives Heineken dominant positions in Mexico (Dos Equis, Tecate, Sol) and Brazil. The deal makes Heineken the second-largest brewer in Latin America.

18. 2012Heineken

    Tiger Beer Acquisition

    Heineken acquires Tiger Beer, giving the company a leading position in Southeast Asia. The acquisition strengthens Heineken's presence in Asia Pacific, one of the fastest-growing beer markets globally.

19. 2013AB InBev

    Grupo Modelo Combination

    AB InBev completes its $20.1 billion combination with Grupo Modelo; Modelo's U.S. business is sold to Constellation Brands for about $4.75 billion.

20. 2014AB InBev

    Oriental Brewery Reacquired

    AB InBev completes the $5.8 billion purchase of South Korea's Oriental Brewery, which it had sold in 2009.

21. 2015Heineken

    Lagunitas Acquisition

    Heineken acquires Lagunitas, a leading U.S. craft beer brand, signaling the company's interest in the craft segment and providing entry into the growing American craft beer market.

22. 2016AB InBev

    SAB Combination Completed

    AB InBev completes its combination with SABMiller on 10 October 2016, valued at a gross purchase consideration of $114 billion.

23. 2017Heineken

    Heineken 0.0 Launch

    Heineken launches Heineken 0.0, a non-alcoholic beer that would become central to the company's future strategy.

24. 2019AB InBev

    Budweiser APAC Listed in Hong Kong

    AB InBev lists a minority stake in Budweiser APAC on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for $5.75 billion, including the over-allotment option.

25. 2019AB InBev

    BEES Piloted in the Dominican Republic

    AB InBev pilots its BEES B2B ordering app in the Dominican Republic before rolling it out to other markets.

26. 2020AB InBev

    Australian Business Sold to Asahi

    AB InBev completes the sale of Carlton & United Breweries to Asahi for ~$10.3 billion (AUD 16.0 billion), with net proceeds of $10.8 billion.

27. 2021AB InBev

    Michel Doukeris Becomes CEO

    Michel Doukeris, head of the North America Zone, succeeds Carlos Brito as CEO on 1 July 2021.

28. 2021Heineken

    EverGreen Strategy Launch and Distell/Namibia Breweries Acquisition

    Dolf van den Brink, CEO since June 2020, launches the EverGreen strategy, a comprehensive transformation program focused on premiumization, digitalization, and sustainability.

29. 2023AB InBev

    Bud Light Boycott

    A backlash over a Bud Light promotion with influencer Dylan Mulvaney cuts Bud Light sales, and Modelo Especial passes it as the top-selling U.S. beer.

30. 2023Heineken

    Russia Exit and Vrumona Sale

    Heineken exits Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, a significant strategic and financial decision. The company also sells Vrumona (Netherlands soft drinks) and continues portfolio optimization under the EverGreen strategy.

31. 2024AB InBev

    Worldwide Olympic Partner

    AB InBev becomes a Worldwide Olympic Partner, with Corona Cero as the first global beer sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

32. 2024Heineken

    Solid Operational Results with Earnings Volatility

    Heineken delivers solid operational results under EverGreen: beer volume up 1.6%, premium volume up 5%, operating profit (beia) up 8.3%, margin expanding 40 bps.

33. 2025AB InBev

    FY2025 Revenue of $59.32B

    AB InBev reports $59.32 billion in revenue, $21.2 billion in normalized EBITDA and $52.5 billion in BEES GMV.

34. 2025Heineken

    Africa Growth, DRC Exit, and F1 Partnership Extension

    The Africa & Middle East region emerges as the strongest performer, with operating profit up 62% and Nigeria and Ethiopia delivering exceptional growth. The company exits the DRC, converting to asset-light licensing.

35. 2026AB InBev

    BeatBox Acquisition Closes

    AB InBev closes its purchase of 85% of U.S. ready-to-drink brand BeatBox on 27 February 2026 for up to about $490 million.

36. 2026AB InBev

    First-Half 2026 Results

    Reported revenue rises 11.5% to $31.93 billion in the first half of 2026, with organic revenue up 5.8% in Q1 and 5.6% in Q2.

37. 2026Heineken

    CEO Transition and Restructuring

    In January 2026, Dolf van den Brink announced he would step down; he left on May 31, 2026, with no interim CEO appointed. In February, Heineken announced plans to cut 5,000-6,000 roles over two years.

Acquisitions

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