Here under follows the new letter sent, some days ago, by Pedavena Parish to the Board of Heineken Nederland, with the invitation to respect the engagement declared in the previous letter.
It’s a clear invitation to put into effect any effort for assuring the continuation of industrial beer production in Pedavena.
To Mr. M.J. Bolland, Heineken Executive Board
Dear Mr. Bolland,
While I thank you so much for your kind letter of July 17, I ask for your understanding if I write you again in this particular moment, when there are only few days left for the final and definite conclusion of the matter regarding our Brewery. All the same I would like to renew my personal concern regarding the factory and our territory.
Although there are still negotiations going on, I realise there are some problems about the sale of the factory by the Italian managers.
I put my trust on your word and pray God hoping that everything will be concluded in the best way possible.
The Parish of Pedavena
Comitato Birreria Pedavena represents a popular movement born in Pedavena at the beginning of 2005 to try to maintain industrial production of high quality beer in an historical , but good economic, plant that Heineken has decided to close.
This plant was created at the end of 19th century by a family named Luciani. After 108 years here still are producted high quality beers (severals quality awards achieved also in current year).
Pedavena is a small town in the north part of Italy (80 km north of Venice and 110 km south of Austrian border), whose territory is partially included in the Dolomiti National Park. Here nature is still preserved and natural resourses (water, air, wood, ecc) are still unpolluted.
All this, we think, represents additional values for an high quality beer named “Birra Pedavena – la birra delle Dolomiti”, that can’t be deleted because of a one side decision.Our target is to keep active this industrial plant, either because it has been demonstrated that it’s economic results are positive, either because it represents a particularly good intergrated situation between industrial plant, turistic and commercial activities, the town of Pedavena.
From over a century the identity of the community and that one of the brewery are united and integrated in a very special way.We think that Heineken decision to close this plant is not economically ethic and don’t follow the Corporate Social Responsibility principles that Heineken declares in his official “values book”.
We are really determined to follow each alternative solution that can assure industrial production of high quality beer in Pedavena. According to this target we have asked Heineken to sell this plant to other breweries.
At the moment there are 2 companies that declared the interest to buy Pedavena brewery for continuing the productive tradition.So now we ask Heineken to be “Social Responsible” and to encourage the transfer of the plant to interested companies.This is the right thing to do, and we will do all we can to follow it.
About us, our brewery, our community, our town an territory you can visit some web sites here specified:
www.comitatobirreriapedavena.it
www.crocedaune.it/birreria.html
Pedavena Community toward collective protest demonstrations Vs Heineken
The Birreria Pedavena Committee, interpreting the requests of the whole community, share the worries expressed by the union representatives in the mass media, regarding the difficulties that the two potential buyers (Tarricone Spa and Castello Spa) have in conducting negotiations with Heineken.
We also share the necessity to go on and organise protests against any attempt to prevent the transfer, as the unique solution that can guarantee the industrial production of beer in Pedavena plant and awaken public opinion to this problem.
On that basis the Birreria Pedavena Committee have shown their readiness to collaborate in the organization of protest demonstrations in Milan, at Heineken Italy, and, if necessary, in Holland at the parent company.
We have already begun to organize some initiatives that will be carried out soon, if we don’t notice any tangible signals that the negotiations are proceeding and if Heineken continue in avoiding giving precise answers on the transfer of the brewery plant of Pedavena. They will involve staff, representatives of the local government in the province of Belluno, of the whole community of Pedavena, or simple citizens of nearby areas.
Comitato Birreria Pedavena
In the North of Italy, 80 km far from Venice, in Pedavena (Belluno) there is a brewery that successfully produced beers of high quality and is so indissolubly linked with the territory, that it was defined factory-town.
In September 2004 Heineken decided to close this factory, because it was not of great dimensions (it produces only 650.00 hl per year). Even if it made a profit, it produced beers of superior quality, and in 2004 it was the Heineken brewery to reach the best technical-productive performances in Italy and although its beer was repeatedly given a world-wide prize (last time was in July 2005), they decided to close it.
Next to the factory there is a brewery-restaurant with more than 600.000 customers per year, among the first ones in Europe.
It’s more than 14 months the local community is fighting to assure the continuation of industrial production of beer in this plant. To defend this great patrimony of competence and passion we collected 44.000 signatures and two web sites were created:www.birreriapedavena.info;www.comitatobirreriapedavena.it.
Heineken should not behave in the market setting where it exists without respecting the local tradition and culture. They can not buy and close factories that have been successfully operating for many decades without fostering their productive continuity. A Company behaving like that is not socially responsible.
We want to share and promulgate this matter, also to prevent what is happening in Italy from happening in other European Countries.
Comitato Birreria Pedavena
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
TO THE FINANCIAL ANALYSTS
TO THE ETHICAL FUNDS MANAGERS
Dear Sirs,
with regard to the closing down of the Heineken plant of Pedavena (Belluno) – Italy – up to now we have noted Heineken Italia Spa’s reluctance to undertake the necessary procedures of due diligence suitable to begin the process of alienation of the plant in favour of third parties who have confirmed their interest.
This behaviour implies fixed charges for the maintenance of the tying up without any income.
All this seems a choice which does not defend anybody’s interests: not the shareholders’ ones, who would see the profitability of their investment being penalized, nor the ones of the social, political and economical system, which moves around the surrounding territory, and even less the ones of the company image of Heineken.
Besides, Heineken does not seem to take into consideration the issues which are moving on within the civil society concerning the social responsibility of a firm.
The following Memorandum represents an analysis of the meaning of the closing-down of an industrial seat like the Birreria Pedavena and it is meant to show, above all to those who are working in the Ethical Economy and Finance world, Heineken’s real behaviour and how its formal declarations on the ethical value of the business are completely disrespected in fact.
I thank you and send you my best regards.
Committee Birreria Pedavena - The President