INFO
Strongbow Apple Cider Gold bottle, 33cl
2016
glass, cider, metal, paper
22.7 x 6 cm
Drink, or I'll shoot!
Originally mainly popular in the UK, cider is now known and loved worldwide. This is in part thanks to Heineken, which began to focus on the cider sector after acquiring the British brewery Scottish & Newcastle. That this didn't go entirely without a hitch is illustrated by the way Strongbow Gold flopped when it was first introduced in the Netherlands.
In 2008, Heineken and the Danish brewery Carlsberg jointly acquired Scottish & Newcastle and split the company. S&N's domestic operation made Heineken the largest brewery in the UK. It also strengthened its leadership position in the European market through S&N's operations in Portugal, Ireland, Finland and Belgium, and gave Heineken a foothold in India's emerging beer market.
Global market leader
The S&N portfolio also contained Bulmers cider, an acquisition that pushed Heineken into pole position in the global cider market. The focus on cider suited Heineken's strategy of responding to the increasing demand for a wider drinks range. It was also necessary, considering the declining beer market at the time.
Fame brings loved
Cider was still a fairly unfamiliar product in the Netherlands in 2008 and was only sold in a few niche restaurants and shops. Heineken looked to Sweden for its 'Operation Strongbow,' where cider had been similarly unknown, but had rapidly caught on after its introduction by S&N. Heineken was also able to follow developments at Carlsberg, which had begun producing Somersby cider for the Danish market in the same year. Somersby soon became one of the fastest-growing cider brands in the world.
Too soon
However, Heineken's move into cider was premature for the Netherlands. ‘We started before there was sufficient interest,' the then marketing director of Heineken Netherlands, Bram Westenbrink, reflected later. 'We were thinking very much in terms of a brand for men, Strongbow, and a sweeter product for women, Jillz. But Strongbow turned out to be too British – too sour and dry for the Dutch palette.'
Cider offensive
Some years later Heineken would try again, only now with a complete cider offensive at the right time. 'Consumers are looking for much more variety,' Westenbrink said, when he presented the new cider brand Orchard Thieves in 2016. 'Orchard Thieves will come in two variants from the start. And we will introduce four more cider brands in the hospitality sector. For the connoisseur, there is the dry Bulmers, and a cidre made according to a French recipe by the Belgian Ciderie Stassen. This is a very dry cider that is close to wine, also in terms of its alcohol content.' Santé!