Heineken Sustainability Report 2008

Agriculture

We brew beer with natural ingredients. We need cereals, predominantly barley, for brewing and hops for flavour and bitterness. For the continuity of our business, we need access to sufficient, high quality raw materials at an acceptable price. As the world’s population continues to rise and many people see their wealth increase, demand for foodstuffs is increasing rapidly. At the same time, the quantity of arable land has remained more or less stable. With biofuels putting extra pressure on the availability of land for foodstuffs in 2008, prices rose significantly.