Bill Gates buys stake in Heineken

24 February, 2023

By Eleanor Yates

The billionaire founder of Microsoft has bought a 3.76% stake in Dutch drinks giant Heineken Holding NV, although Gates has previously said he was “not a big beer drinker”.

According to the Netherlands Financial Markets Authority, Gates purchased the €850m shares on 17 February.

Gates purchased the shares from Mexico's FEMSA, which sold all 18 million of its shares held in Heineken Holding.

In a 2018 interview with Reddit, Gates said: "When I end up at something like a baseball game I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers. Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers,” as the move is a surprise to some.

Heineken was recently ranked first place as the bestselling beer brand in Drinks International’s 2023 Brands Report.