Heineken

Heineken N.V. operates over 165 breweries across more than 70 countries. The brand's A-yeast, first isolated in 1886, is used across both alcoholic and alcohol-free products. Heineken has positioned that yeast lineage as central to the 0.0 lager's identity, rather than treating the AF range as a separately developed formulation.

Heineken 0.0 launched in 2017 across 14 initial markets, including the Netherlands and Germany, placing the brand among the earlier mainstream lager producers to enter the AF category at scale. The 0.0 is produced using vacuum distillation: a technique that removes alcohol at reduced pressure, which lowers the boiling point and allows the liquid to be treated gently without stripping natural aromas. By 2024, Heineken had extended its AF lineup with fruit-led lager variants, broadening the range beyond the flagship 0.0. The full AF range is now available in over 100 markets worldwide.

Distribution spans mainstream supermarkets and specialist alcohol-free retailers globally. Heineken 0.0 is among the most consistently available AF lagers across on-trade and off-trade venues worldwide, which gives it a practical reach advantage over smaller AF brands that lack the infrastructure to supply hospitality settings at scale. The range sits in the mid-range bracket. Fitness-focused drinkers and sober-curious consumers seeking a familiar lager format represent the primary audience.