Grolsch

The Grolsch brewery was founded in 1615 in Groenlo. The city of Groenlo was then known as Grolle, hence the name Grolsch, meaning 'of Grolle'. Grolsch is best known for its 5% abv pale lager, Grolsch Premium Pilsner. The brewery was first operated by Willem Neerfeldt. Neerfeldt's son-in-law, Peter Sanford Kuyper, later took over. Grolsch was, as of February 2006, the second largest brewer in the Netherlands (after Heineken) with annual production of 320 million litres. The domestic market comprises 51% of total production.

Change of ownership

On 19 November 2007, the board of Royal Grolsch NV accepted an €816 million offer for the company by SABMiller. The takeover was completed with the delisting of Grolsch's shares on 20 March 2008.

SABMiller subsequently sold the company to Anheuser-Busch InBev. Further, in April 2016, the latter accepted Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.'s offer to buy not only Grolsch but also the Peroni and Meantime beer brands for €2.55 billion (US $2.9 billion).

Grolsch is the 21st largest provider of beer in the world, and is available in 70 countries. Grolsch focuses primarily on the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These primary markets make up 78% of Grolsch's international sales (by volume). Grolsch Premium Pilsner is by far the most important beer in its international profile, while its Amsterdam brand grew by 40% in 2006, primarily in Russia and France.

United Kingdom

For 25 years, Grolsch Premium Pilsner was brewed under licence in the UK by Grolsch (UK) Ltd., a joint venture with Coors Brewers Ltd until November 2019. It was no longer available in the UK after Asahi ended the JV. However, it was reintroduced into the UK in late October 2020 with a lower ABV recipe at 4%; its alcohol content was further reduced to 3.4% ABV in 2024 as a cost saving exercise.

Canada

In 2002, the Canadian Sleeman Breweries purchased the rights to distribute Grolsch in Canada.

United States

In 2006, Grolsch ended its five-year relationship with importer United States Beverage, LLC, and signed a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch effective 1 April 2006, which was terminated following the SABMiller acquisition as A-B did not want to promote a rival's product.