Hospitality Business Magazine

Heineken Light set to hit the New Zealand market

Heineken picHeineken, the world’s most international premium beer and the leader in New Zealand’s premium beer category, is readying itself for the launch of Heineken Light into the New Zealand market.

The arrival of this exciting innovation from the Dutch brewing giant is in response to the changing needs of Kiwi consumers. The result is the development of a 2.5% premium lager that offers an extraordinary smooth drinking experience with a superior taste profile brewed using all malt to provide a flavoursome foundation. The Cascade hops used impart special floral and citrus notes, along with a light bitterness. Heineken Light is fermented using Heineken’s proprietary ‘A’ yeast and unique long fermentation process that develops full flavour and mouthfeel.

The new product gives Kiwis a great tasting, refreshing Light beer without compromising on taste or forgoing the premium badge value of a Heineken, and is the perfect beer to extend any social occasion.

Julia Imlah, Heineken New Zealand Marketing Manager, explains: “We are hugely proud to have produced a world first 2.5% Heineken Light to address the changing consumer tastes here in New Zealand. This premium Light beer is an exciting innovation for Kiwis which delivers on the uncompromising quality and taste that they have come to expect from Heineken”.

New Zealand will become just the third country in the world to launch Heineken Light following a successful roll out in the United States and Taiwan. The launch of a 2.5% Heineken Light, however, is a world first for the brewer. Developed specially for New Zealand consumers, it meets the country’s legislative requirements for Light beer products to have alcohol content of 2.5% or below.

To celebrate the launch, Heineken has constructed a giant mirror cube in the Britomart precinct of downtown Auckland that will be open to the public from Thursday the 3rd to Sunday 6th of September. ‘The Heineken Light Club’, a creative collaboration between Heineken and world leading lighting art and design collective SquidSoup, is a unique place to try Heineken Light within an interactive light and sound installation, something which has never been seen in New Zealand before. The installation encourages visitors to move through the space and experience the change in light and sound that occurs as the technology responds to individuals and their Heineken Light bottle.

SquidSoup has worked on creative lighting installations around the world including places such as the Sundance Film Festival (USA), Glastonbury Festival (UK), the V&A (UK), Tate Britain (UK), Visual Art Week (Mexico).“It’s been really exciting for us to work on this world first with Heineken Light, creating a combined sound and light experience. The additional interactivity that allows the audience to mix audio in real-time certainly elevates the work to a whole new level,” says SquidSoup’s New Zealand based artistic director Chris Bennewith.

Julia Imlah, Heineken New Zealand Marketing Manager, explains: “We are hugely proud to have launched a world first 2.5% Heineken Light to address the changing consumer tastes here in New Zealand. The new product gives Kiwis a great tasting, refreshing Light beer without compromising on taste or forgoing the premium badge value of a Heineken, and is the perfect beer to extend any social occasion”.

New Zealand will become just the third country in the world to launch Heineken Light following a successful roll out in the United States and Taiwan. The launch of a 2.5% Heineken Light, however, is a world first for the brewer. Developed specially for New Zealand consumers, it meets the country’s legislative requirements for Light beer products to have alcohol content of 2.5% or below.