Royal Swinkels

Lore & Background

The brewery's history traces to 1680, when Dirk Vereijken owned a brewery in Lieshout. The property passed through three generations of daughters and their husbands until 1773, when Brigitta Moorrees and her husband Ambrosius Swinkels became full owners. For centuries the brewery served only the local market. In 1890, fourth-generation Jan Swinkels began distribution to Helmond, and by 1923 output had reached 3,325 hectolitres. Three brothers of the fifth generation built a larger brewery and adopted the brand name Bavaria, indicating bottom fermentation for pale lager.

Distribution expanded nationwide, and in 1933 the brewery added its own bottling plant. A malt house was built by 1940. After World War II, beer consumption fell, but the company recovered by 1959 and doubled capacity in the 1960s. Export began in 1973, first to Southern Europe, and alcohol-free beer was introduced for Islamic countries. By 1981 total volume reached 1,000,000 hectolitres. In 1999, the company took over daily operations of the Trappist Koningshoeven Abbey brewery, producing La Trappe beer. In 2016 it acquired a majority stake in Belgian brewery Palm, later expanding to full ownership, and also bought Latis Imports for a US presence. The company was granted the Royal predicate in 2019 and shortened its name to Royal Swinkels in 2024.

Reader's Guide

Royal Swinkels operates nine breweries: three in the Netherlands, three in Belgium, and one each in Ethiopia, Cuba, and Georgia. Its beer brands include Bavaria, Swinckels', La Trappe, and Rodenbach. Nearly 11 percent of its beer production is alcohol-free or low-alcoholic. The company also owns two malt houses, in Lieshout and Eemshaven, with annual capacity of 400,000 tons; a third is used internally, a third sold in Europe, and a third exported mainly to Latin America, South America, and Japan. Malt sales contribute about 15 percent of total sales. Soft drinks, produced at roughly 600,000 hectolitres per year, are almost entirely private label, with the company's own brands being 3ES and B52. In Ethiopia, it brews Negus, a non-alcoholic coffee-flavoured malt drink. Two-thirds of turnover comes from Europe, with over half from Western Europe; the Middle East/Africa region contributes twenty percent. In 2007, the company was fined €22.85 million by the European Commission for participating in a price-fixing cartel in the Netherlands alongside Heineken, Grolsch, and InBev. At the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, the company engaged in ambush marketing campaigns that led to confrontations with FIFA officials.

Did You Know?

• The company was fined €22.85 million in 2007 for participating in a Dutch beer price-fixing cartel.
• At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, fans were asked to remove orange overalls with the Bavaria logo before entering a match.
• The brewery has been owned by the Swinkels family since 1773.
• The company produces nearly 7 million hectolitres of beer per year across nine breweries.