How could we prove that Heineken’s secret ingredient - A yeast - gives it's the refreshing taste? Bake the best bread with A-yeast.

On March 17th we opened The Most Refreshing Bakery. A little pop-up bakery in Amsterdam serving Heineken bread made with A-Yeast.

Together with an award-winning Master Boulanger we developed a unique bread with the refreshing qualities also found in our beer.

From the interior of the Bakery, the packaging and shape of the breads itself, everything was designed to tell the story about A-yeast, with a recognizable Heineken signature.

A Heineken Bakery on an A-location in the center of Amsterdam.

Every part of the Bakery was designed to tell the story and refreshing benefit of A-yeast. From the packaging of the bread to little details like custom made coasters, the wrapping and the special wall text.

We took design cues from Heineken's history in brewing and translated them to the upmarket design of the Bakery. From the copper detailing and white tiles that both can be found in the old Heineken brewery in Amsterdam, to more modern touches, like the backlit row of green bottles found in many clubs and restaurants around the globe.

The design of the Bakery had to reflect craftsmanship and care that went into the creation of the Heineken bread. After finding an appropriate location 4 weeks before opening we designed everything in 2D and executed the plan in 3D to the physical location.

People from all corners of the The Netherlands came to Amsterdam to visit the pop-up store. Food bloggers and local celebrities shared pictures of the bread on social. Dutch national television programs passed by for an interview with our master boulanger.

The news became a headline on the biggest local newsfeed NU.nl and the news travelled to other countries. The press-value off- and online media was valued at 700.000 euro‘s.

The social sentiment was extremely positive. Thousands of fans tagged their friends to connect about the bakery. This resulted in an above average shares and views.

After the closing the brand tracking demonstrated that Heineken increased its best brewership with A-yeast among the target audience to a all-high 78%. Heineken sold more than 5.000 breads in 5 days and reached over 4,7 million people in The Netherlands on social media.