Gulpener, one of Netherlands' last independent major brewers, acquired by Grolsch
Gulpener, one of the last independent major beer brewers in the Netherlands, is being acquired by industry peer Grolsch from Enschede. Grolsch, which in turn is owned by the Japanese beer giant Asahi, already owned 15 percent of Gulpener and is now taking over the rest of the Gulpen-based company. The brewers did not specify the amounts involved in the deal.
This marks the end of over 200 years of independent beer brewing by the Limburg family business. And the decision was not made lightly, the Rutten family told RTL Z. “This really hits you hard,” Maartje Rutten said. Brother Jan-Paul, the general manager of the family business, adds: “After all, it was built by eight ancestors, with blood, sweat, and tears.”
“It has been quite a process we have been in,” Jan-Paul Rutten said. “But for quite some time now, we have seen that we are being squeezed more and more by the decline in the beer market.”
Gulpener has still made a profit in recent years. “But given the limited size we have, at a certain point, we will be squeezed dry,” he said. “If you do the math, you will find yourself with your back against the wall sometime in the coming years.”
The Rutten family was determined to avoid that scenario. “It is nice that we can take this step from a position of strength,” Jan-Paul said. “It is also painful because we are letting go of something special as a family; we did shed a tear over that.”
The new owner is the Japanese beer conglomerate Asahi, which owns Grolsch. The Rutten family hopes that Gulpener will get the same treatment as Grolsch from its new owner. “They have found their own place well, and from what we hear, they are given freedom as long as they have a good plan. We hope to secure such a position as well,” Rutten said.
“The most important thing is that, thanks to the synergy benefits, we can move back to a growth scenario.” That will happen from their own familiar brewery in Gulpen, with the same staff staying on, he added.
