Dutch brewers exported an all-time record 1,6 billion euros worth of beer last year, surpassing 2013 exports by four per cent. According to Dick ter Steege of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), that works out to two glasses of Dutch beer per person, per day, shipped to other countries.
The Netherlands was once the world’s top beer exporter, but since 2010 has come in at second place behind Mexico, where the past decade has seen export value increase by 150 per cent. Germany and Belgium hold the fourth and fifth places, respectfully.
When it comes to beer, Americans are by far the Netherlands’ best customers - last year, exports to the United States accounted for 37 per cent of all exported Dutch beer. Though the value of this trade has declined slightly from a euro-value perspective, Dutch beer still holds a significant 19 per cent of the American market.
EU countries also make up an important part of the Netherlands’ export market, and the popularity of Dutch beer in France has been on the rise.
Additionally, Asian markets - specifically Taiwan and China - are picking up speed. The value of Dutch beer exported to Taiwan hit the 80 million euro mark in 2014.
Last year, 93 per cent of the Netherlands’ exported beer was brewed within the country’s own borders. The remainder was made in various parts of the world, but distributed by Dutch companies.
Three brewers - Heineken, Grolsch and Bavaria - are major drivers of the Netherlands’ success as a global beer provider, along with a growing number of successful microbreweries.
Heineken’s major brands include Amstel and international labels such as Newcastle Brown Ale and Strongbow. In total, Heineken brews over 250 beers in more than 70 countries, and can be found in more than 170.
Bavaria is the Netherlands’ second-largest brewery and exports to more than 120 countries.
Grolsch, the world’s 21st largest beer provider, has a market concentrated for the most part in the English-speaking world.