DB Breweries

Meet Chloe Brown. Chloe is a Brand Experience Manager at DB, creating the events, partnerships, and experiences behind iconic brands like Heineken® and Export.    If you’ve seen our brands showing up at events like Electric Avenue, SailGP, Synthony, or Black Clash, that’s all in Chloe’s wheelhouse.    Behind each experience are months of planning and plenty of moving parts. From budgets, contracts, and suppliers to venues, production, staffing, stock, and health and safety. Chloe works with teams across DB and a range of external partners to bring it all together.   Electric Avenue is one example of how experiences evolve. The Heineken House® presence evolved beyond supplying the brews and is now an iconic part of the atmosphere and a must-see site for festival goers.    One experience Chloe is especially proud of is Heineken® Club Silver, a pop-up outdoor bar over Summer 2025-2026. Working closely with the wider team, Chloe helped bring the physical experience to life, from concept development through to operations and event delivery. The Club Silver campaign has since been nominated for six IAB Digital Advertising Awards! “Seeing something that started as an idea on a page turn into a real experience, and then watching people come through, enjoy it and share it, was incredibly rewarding.”   “For me, the best brand experiences are the ones people don’t necessarily think of as marketing. They’re just having a great time, making memories with their mates, and the brand becomes part of that moment.”

Today, Hon. Cameron Brewer, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, officially opened our Waitematā Brewery after major site upgrades. Waitematā has been at the heart of DB for almost 100 years. The $30 million investment modernises critical brewing and packaging infrastructure, strengthens our manufacturing capability, and prepares the site for the future. The upgrades are already delivering benefits through greater flexibility and improved capability in growth areas such as low-carb beer, hazy beers, and customer-friendly pack formats. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this transformation to life, including the teams who planned and delivered this complex project while keeping our operations running, and to Minister Brewer for joining us to celebrate this important milestone for our company. Darron Curphey Peter Hart Amber McEwen

Following a successful NZ-first trial, we're excited to be rolling out zero alcohol beer on tap nationwide! If someone chooses zero alcohol, we believe they should still be able to enjoy the same freshly poured pint, in the same venue, as part of the same social occasion. This is about socialising without compromise. https://lnkd.in/eiCf7Ztf

The hospitality sector plays an important role in bringing people together, supporting local communities, and creating jobs across New Zealand. That's why we welcome the Ministry for Regulation's Hospitality Review and its focus on reducing unnecessary complexity and compliance costs for hospitality businesses. The review identifies opportunities to simplify licensing processes, improve regulatory efficiency, reduce duplication, and create a more proportionate approach to regulation across the sector. These are practical changes that could help hospitality operators spend more time focused on customers and less time navigating administration. A strong hospitality sector benefits businesses, employees, suppliers, communities, and the wider visitor economy. We look forward to seeing the recommendations considered as part of ongoing efforts to support New Zealand hospitality. David Seymour Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Congratulations to all of the 2026 Freshwater Champions recognised by Cawthron Institute and NZ Landcare Trust for their outstanding work restoring and protecting Aotearoa New Zealand's rivers, lakes, wetlands and estuaries! We're especially proud to see the Tasman Horticulture Restoration programme, delivered by The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa New Zealand and Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, recognised among this year's nominees. Since 2025, the programme has supported the planting of more than 22,000 native plants across 14 restoration projects throughout the Motueka and Moutere catchments. As part of our partnership on this project, DB has specifically focused on native plantings in Motueka and Moutere catchments, and we’re really proud to support practical, long-term solutions that protect and restore environments that hold deep significance for our communities, like this one. 

Ever wondered what it's like behind the brewery gates? Join Jonty Holmes for a quick tour of our Waitematā Brewery and check out the different careers you could have with us. Note that applications are now open for the HEINEKEN Global Graduate Programme, which offers ambitious graduates the chance to gain real-world experience, develop leadership skills, and be part of a global network of one of the world's leading beverage companies. Find out more on our careers page:  https://lnkd.in/e5pBE7a9  

Meet Kym Field. Kym is celebrating an incredible 30 years with DB this month. Starting her journey in the lab in 1996, Kym has held a range of roles across the brewery, from brewing operator and brewing team leader to planner, and now brewing quality specialist. Over three decades, she has helped shape the quality and consistency that goes into every beer we brew. When asked what has kept her at DB for 30 years, Kym's answer was simple: "It's the people. I've been very lucky to work with excellent managers and be part of an amazing, hard-working brewing team. It's been a privilege," says Kym. While plenty has changed during Kym's time at DB, her commitment to excellence hasn't. In fact, just last month she achieved an internal excellence award, a reflection of the passion and pride she continues to bring to her work every day. Congratulations, Kym, and thank you for 30 years of dedication, expertise and teamwork!

Applications are now open for our Global Graduate Programme! What if your first job could take you further? We're looking for curious, ambitious graduates who want to help shape the future of our business and our industry. As part of the HEINEKEN family, our Global Graduate Programme offers ambitious graduates the opportunity to kick-start their careers through meaningful work, structured development, mentorship, and experiences across one of the world's leading beverage companies. Over the past decade, we’ve been running a programme across Asia Pacific which has helped develop future leaders across our business. Now, graduates have even greater opportunities to build international experience and broaden their perspectives through a global network.    Whether your passion is brewing, sales, supply chain, finance, marketing, corporate affairs, sustainability or beyond, you'll gain hands-on experience, take on real responsibility, and learn from talented people right across our business. Find out more on our careers page: https://lnkd.in/e5pBE7a9

Happy International Beer Day! Did you know beer is one of the world's oldest beverages? Its story stretches back thousands of years, from the earliest civilisations, through medieval monasteries, to the modern breweries we know today. From ancient brewers experimenting with grains and fermentation, to the scientific breakthroughs that helped create the crisp lagers and the low carb and zero alcohol brews enjoyed today, beer's story is one of craftsmanship, innovation and socialisation. At DB Breweries, we're proud to be playing a small part in that story, brewing beers enjoyed by Kiwis since 1929. See below a picture of the gorgeous old brewhouse at our Waitematā brewery.

Cheers to the teams behind the brews!   Always an honour to have our brands recognised, and this year we picked up 12 medals at the New Zealand Beer Awards across Tuatara, Export, Tiger, Monteith's and Heineken. From classic favourites to newer innovations, the awards reflect the dedication, creativity and craftsmanship of the people behind the beer we brew. Congratulations to our brewing, quality and innovation teams, and to everyone involved in bringing these brands to life. We're proud to see passion and expertise recognised on the national stage!