Rice, who hopes Heineken 0.0 on draught will reach 2,000 pubs by end the end of the first quarter of the 2026 calendar year, said an operator has to think about what the majority of their customers are drinking at the bar to start the journey of stocking the right products.
“Stocking the right thing on draught is really important but you must think about your range – and start to build that range,” Rice explained to The Morning Advertiser.
One product ‘not enough’
“So think about what your products need to be in the fridge and how you can expand across different categories. It’s important operators recognise one product is not going to be enough.
“Right now, we have lots of different zero-alcohol products but only Heineken 0.0 on draught. We want to bring out different draught products but for the time being, we are focused on Heineken 0.0.”
He added Heineken has a “whole plethora” of zero and low-alcohol products, which include Birra Moretti Zero and ciders such as Inch’s 0.0% and Old Mout Berries & Cherries alcohol-free fruit cider and Beavertown Lazer Crush at 0.3% ABV.
£100m spend
Rice confirmed the business’s number one serve in alcohol-free for the on-trade is Heineken 0.0 “by quite some way” followed by Birra Moretti then Old Mout Berries & Cherries and Inch’s and added “we’re well represented across beer and cider, and we’ll continue to focus on that”.
He explained: “What I love about this business is that we do invest in brands. We’ve spent £100m above and below the line talking about our brands and this creates excitement and gives people a reason to go to the on-trade.
“We put Heineken in the right places with the right tech and we’re confident in that. We won’t compromise on quality.”
- Rice also told The Morning Advertiser how a reduction in alcohol for its Foster’s brand from 3.7% ABV to 3.4% ABV means a reduction in duty costs for owner Heineken but that saving will help the brand be sold at “competitive” rates when the switch takes place in February 2026.
