Number of brewers more than quadrupled since 2007
[video: https://www.cbs.nlen-gb/video/08fca3cb6ce9406ca74248bd7cacc26d]
(English subtitles available)
As 270 out of the 370 craft brewers are one-man businesses, this means the number of small-scale breweries has increased more than sixfold: from 40 in 2007 to 270 in 2017. An upward trend is also seen among breweries with two to four employees, but much more modest: from 20 to 60. The number of large breweries with a workforce of five or more persons has risen from 25 to 35.
| 1 employee | 2 to 4 employees | 5 or more employees | total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 40 | 20 | 25 | 90 |
| 2008 | 40 | 15 | 25 | 80 |
| 2009 | 45 | 15 | 25 | 90 |
| 2010 | 50 | 15 | 30 | 90 |
| 2011 | 50 | 20 | 25 | 100 |
| 2012 | 65 | 15 | 25 | 110 |
| 2013 | 85 | 20 | 30 | 130 |
| 2014 | 95 | 30 | 30 | 155 |
| 2015 | 135 | 50 | 30 | 215 |
| 2016 | 195 | 65 | 30 | 290 |
| 2017 | 270 | 60 | 35 | 370 |
More brewers in Noord-Holland
In 2007, most beer brewing companies were located in the provinces of Limburg and Noord-Brabant. At present, most brewers by far (95) are found in the province of Noord-Holland, followed by Noord-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. Ten years ago, there were no more than ten breweries in Noord-Holland.
Nearly half of all brewers in Noord-Holland are based in Amsterdam, with 45 establishments also the craft beer capital of the Netherlands. The city is host to as many breweries as the provinces of Flevoland, Drenthe, Zeeland, Groningen and Friesland combined. The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht follow Amsterdam at some distance with ten breweries each. There were only five breweries in Amsterdam in 2007.
| 1 April 2007 | 1 April 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Noord-Holland | 10 | 95 |
| Noord-Brabant | 20 | 65 |
| Zuid-Holland | 15 | 45 |
| Gelderland | 5 | 40 |
| Utrecht | 5 | 35 |
| Limburg | 20 | 25 |
| Friesland | 0 | 15 |
| Overijssel | 5 | 15 |
| Groningen | 0 | 10 |
| Zeeland | 5 | 10 |
| Drenthe | 0 | 5 |
| Flevoland | 5 | 5 |
Most large breweries also found in Noord-Holland
Even if one-man businesses are excluded, Noord-Holland tops the list of most breweries with two or more employees, namely thirty. This is more than in Noord-Brabant, which has fifteen such breweries. Utrecht and Zuid-Holland have a strikingly high number of microbreweries and drop in ranking if one-man businesses are not included.
If only beer brewing companies with five or more employees are taken into account, Noord-Holland and Noord-Brabant rank highest. Limburg will then be in third place.