Hoegaarden

What Hoegaarden does

Hoegaarden is a Belgian wheat beer brand, founded historically in 1445 when local monks first combined wheat beer with coriander and dried orange peel sourced from the Dutch colony of Curaçao, and revived in its modern form in 1965 by Pierre Celis, who began brewing in his milk shed. The brand is wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world's largest brewing company, and is operated through the Belgian subsidiary InBev Belgium SPRL. Hoegaarden commands approximately 90% of the Belgian wheat beer category and is distributed internationally across Europe, North America, Australia, Singapore, and China via AB InBev's global network.

The product portfolio centers on Hoegaarden White (4.9% ABV, 15 IBU, Belgian Wit style) as the core offering, with extensions including Hoegaarden Rosée (raspberry-infused, lower alcohol), Hoegaarden Cherry, Hoegaarden Agrum (citrus), Hoegaarden Citrus (3.0% ABV), and a seasonal Spéciale (Belgium-exclusive, October-January). Production relies on a proprietary double-fermentation process — primary fermentation for 3-4 days followed by secondary fermentation at 21-25°C for 1-2 weeks — with the beer left unfiltered to preserve its cloudy appearance and smooth texture. Coriander and dried orange peels are added during the boiling phase at 103°C alongside hops, and a centrifuge-based lowering process at 18°C stabilizes the product.

Hoegaarden generates revenue through consumer sales of branded beer across retail, on-premise (bars/restaurants), and limited exclusive channels, though brand-level financials are not separately disclosed by AB InBev. The go-to-motion is primarily top-of-funnel consumer marketing through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the official website, with no direct B2B or enterprise channel disclosed. Customer segments are horizontal — general consumer beer drinkers seeking a distinctive, refreshing wheat beer with historical authenticity — rather than concentrated in any single account or vertical.

Name

Hoegaarden

Legal name

InBev Belgium SPRL

Website

https://hoegaarden.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hoegaarden is a Belgian wheat beer brand wholly owned by AB InBev, producing a portfolio of unfiltered witbiers (White, Rosée, Cherry, Agrum, Citrus, Spéciale) using a proprietary double-fermentation recipe dating to 1445. It serves general consumer beer drinkers across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America via mass retail and on-premise channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Belgian Wheat Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

Keywords

• Belgian wheat beer
• Witbier brewing
• Brewed beverages
• Beer manufacturing
• Belgian beer brand

Headquarters

HQ city

Hoegaarden

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hoegaarden produces and sells a portfolio of unfiltered Belgian Wit wheat beers, including the flagship Hoegaarden White and flavor variants such as Rosée (raspberry), Cherry, Agrum, Citrus, and the seasonal Spéciale. The beers are brewed using a proprietary double-fermentation process with coriander and dried orange peels, and distributed globally through retail, supermarket, on-trade, and international export channels under AB InBev.

Product overview

Hoegaarden is a Belgian beer brand offering a portfolio of wheat beer products centered on the Hoegaarden White (Original Belgian Wheat Beer) as the core offering. The product line includes flavored variants: Hoegaarden Rosée (raspberry), Hoegaarden Cherry (cherry), Hoegaarden Agrum (citrus), and Hoegaarden Citrus (citrus essence). A seasonal offering, Hoegaarden Spéciale, is available exclusively in Belgium from October through January. All products are brewed using a traditional process involving coriander and dried orange peels, fermented twice without filtering, resulting in a cloudy appearance and smooth texture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hoegaarden White: The Original Belgian Wheat Beer, with refreshing citrus and earthy coriander flavors. ABV 4.9%, IBU 15. Style: Belgian Wit.
• Hoegaarden Rosée
• Hoegaarden Cherry
• Hoegaarden Agrum
• Hoegaarden Citrus
• Hoegaarden Spéciale

Products and services

• Hoegaarden White The Original Belgian Wheat Beer, unfiltered and brewed with coriander and dried orange peels using double fermentation; Belgian Wit style, 4.9% ABV, 15 IBU. For adult consumers seeking a refreshing, distinctive wheat beer.
• Hoegaarden Rosée A slightly sweet, refreshing wheat beer infused with raspberry flavours and lower alcohol content; marketed as a summer seasonal for adult consumers seeking a lighter fruit-forward wheat beer.
• Hoegaarden Cherry Classic Hoegaarden wheat beer with a hint of natural cherry juice and cherry blossom aroma; positioned for spring consumption by adult wheat beer drinkers.
• Hoegaarden Agrum Seasonal wheat beer variant combining Original Belgian Wheat Beer with agrum (local citrus fruit); sweet citrus complements the classic orange-peel profile, targeted at consumers seeking a citrus-forward seasonal option.
• Hoegaarden Citrus Classic Hoegaarden wheat beer infused with citrus essence; 3.0% ABV, positioned for summer-month consumption by adult consumers preferring a lower-strength citrus wheat beer.
• Hoegaarden Spéciale A seasonal Belgian Wit wheat beer with playful sourness, sophisticated palate and prolonged aftertaste; 4.9% ABV, 15 IBU, sold exclusively in Belgium from October to end of January. Targeted at Belgian wheat beer enthusiasts seeking a seasonal specialty.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan: World's oldest continuously operating brewery, producer of premium German wheat beers. Comparable to Hoegaarden as a heritage wheat beer brand with strong technical brewing credentials and global premium distribution.
• Leffe: Belgian abbey-style beer brand under AB InBev sharing the same Belgian heritage positioning, AB InBev distribution platform, and premium beer consumer target as Hoegaarden.
• Blue Moon Brewing Co. Belgian-style wheat ale (with orange peel and coriander) under the AB InBev ecosystem. Closest functional competitor in the wheat-beer-with-botanicals category, particularly in the US market where Hoegaarden also competes.
• Allagash Brewing Company: US craft brewery famous for its Allagash White Belgian-style witbier. Directly comparable as a witbier-with-coriander-and-orange-peel producer, representing the craft/discovery segment that competes with Hoegaarden in the US.
• Erdinger Weissbräu: German wheat beer brand and the largest Weihenstephan-style weissbier producer. Closely comparable wheat beer category rival competing for the same on-premise and sports-occasion consumers globally.
• Stella Artois: Sibling premium Belgian beer brand owned by AB InBev. Highly comparable as a heritage Belgian lager distributed globally through the same parent network, competing for the same on-premise and retail occasions as Hoegaarden.
• Affligem: Belgian abbey-style beer owned by Heineken. Comparable Belgian heritage premium beer brand operating through a competing global brewer (Heineken) with similar on-premise and retail positioning.
• Franziskaner: German Hefeweissbier brand (owned by InBev historically, now under AB InBev's Modelo/Constellation-related distribution). Direct wheat beer competitor with similar heritage and global reach.
• Shock Top: Belgian-style wheat ale under AB InBev positioned as an accessible flavored wheat beer. Direct portfolio competitor targeting similar casual wheat-beer occasions as Hoegaarden.
• Paulaner: German Hefeweissbier brand with a centuries-old brewing heritage. Direct functional competitor in the global wheat beer category, offering a comparable premium wheat beer story and broad international distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hoegaarden
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hoegaardenglobal/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Diebels
• Instagraminstagram.com/hoegaarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brouwerij-van-hoegaarden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hoegaarden