Back in 2019, Heineken, the world's second-largest beer group, acquired a minority stake in Oedipus Brewing (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Oedipus wanted to expand and build a new brewing facility. "But dreams need money, and for money you need a partner," the founders explained at the time. Next year, they plan to move to new, larger premises.
According to Frederik van Droffelaar, managing director of Oedipus, the major challenges due to rising raw material costs and energy prices are now leading to a full takeover by Heineken. "We cannot ignore this: Energy shortages, labor shortages, price increases, everything," Van Droffelaar is quoted as saying in
inside.beer. "I'm very happy about the collaboration with Heineken, as we can now benefit from their purchasing power. This brings us much-needed stability."
The process is always the same. A young beer brand that has quickly become successful wants to expand. It gets an investor. Everything is to remain the same, only the new brewery is financed and the distribution channels of the new partner are used to attract new customers. A few years later, the complete takeover follows.
Heineken intends to keep the core of Oedipus' operations. We shall see.
Source:
inside.beer Photo: montage with screenshot of
Oedipus @ Facebook