The Netherlands: Catering industry is stocking up on beer amid relaxed anti-Covid rules

Incidentally, the prices of beer have been raised by the large brewers in the Netherlands because of the rising costs of raw materials, energy and transport. Beer prices will rise 3 to 5 percent this year, according to trade magazine Misset Horeca. The catering industry has already said that they will pass on these higher prices to the customer.

A spokeswoman for the Swinkels brewery, known from Bavaria and Palm, among others, certainly notices that it is busy with orders. “We are working with all our might to ensure that we can complete this logistics operation. It’s all hands on deck.” She states that there is a lot of stock going on for the carnival, which starts in a week and a half. “We are also especially happy for our catering customers that more and more is possible.”

At AB InBev, with brands such as Jupiler, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Hertog Jan, they also see an extra peak in sales, a spokesperson said. “We have been preparing for this for a while by spreading the orders as much as possible. But we are definitely noticing it and our breweries are running at full capacity. We are very happy for the catering industry that more and more is possible. That’s very beautiful.”

“Last week we already saw an extra increase in orders because the relaxation was anticipated,” said a Heineken spokesperson. According to him, there was also great demand from the night catering industry in the major cities because of the opening promotion De Nacht stands on and from the carnival provinces such as North Brabant and Limburg due to the expectation that carnival could be celebrated again.

“We are all set. It is very positive that almost anything is possible again, we are looking forward to it,” says a spokesperson for brewer Grolsch. “We see no problems with the deliveries. Previously, orders were placed by the catering industry with the handbrake on, but now it is running faster and faster.”

Jan-Paul Rutten, director of the Limburg brewery Gulpener, says he has definitely noticed that sales are increasing. “We saw it coming a week ago. Customers were pre-sorting for the relaxation. It is very good news and we are very happy. People have deserved it too.”