Who owns Desperados?
Desperados is owned by Heineken (the Netherlands, AEX: HEIA).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2025, 11 February 2026 (archived copy). Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Heineken N.V. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands, Amsterdam
- Origin
- 🇫🇷 France
- Founded
- 1995
- Category
- Beverages › Beer › Lager
- Parent ticker
- AEX: HEIA
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Desperados
Desperados is a beer flavoured with tequila created in France in 1995, aimed at young drinkers in nightlife venues rather than at traditional beer occasions. It became one of the fastest-growing brands in Heineken's portfolio and helped establish the flavoured beer category in Europe.
Ownership timeline of Desperados
Where Desperados sits in Heineken
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
- BRANA (95%) · 5 brands
- Nigerian Breweries (72.9%) · 14 brands
Open the full Heineken ownership tree →
See the full Heineken brand portfolio (29) →
Other brands owned by Heineken
Heineken controls 29 brands on Brandtree, 29 of them in beverages.
Also in beverages
- 33 Export
- Amstel (1870)
- Birra Moretti (1859)
- Climax (2010)
- Cruzcampo (1904)
- Dos Equis (1897)
- Goldberg (2009)
- Gulder (1970)
- Heineken (1873)
- Hi-Malt (1991)
- Kinanm (2014)
- La Benedicta
- Lagunitas (1993)
- Legend Extra Stout (1992)
- Life Continental Lager (1983)
- Malta Gold
- Malta H (1976)
- Maltina (1976)
Other brands in lager, and who owns them
The 200 brands in lager on Brandtree belong to 55 owners. The largest is AB InBev, with 17; Heineken has 16.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Aguila | AB InBev | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| Allsopps | EABL | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| Asahi Super Dry | Asahi Group | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| 333 | ThaiBev | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Cristal | CCU | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Cabro | Cervecería Centro Americana | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| Beermix | Obolon | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
| Bomonti Filtresiz | Anadolu Efes | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
About the owner: Heineken
Heineken is a publicly listed company headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 1864. Brandtree records 29 brands under its control, and it is listed as AEX: HEIA.
Heineken was founded in Amsterdam in 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the Haystack brewery. It is the second-largest brewer in the world and remains family-influenced through Heineken Holding N.V.
🇫🇷 Desperados and other French brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 322 brands that began in France. 100 of them (31%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Desperados among them.
- Alexandre Bonnet — Lanson-BCC 🇫🇷
- Carola — Spadel 🇧🇪
- Carte Noire — Lavazza 🇮🇹
- Champagne de Castellane — Laurent-Perrier 🇫🇷
- Charles Lafitte — Maison Pommery & Associés 🇫🇷
- Cointreau — Rémy Cointreau 🇫🇷
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Desperados?
The parent company of Desperados is Heineken, a publicly listed company headquartered in the Netherlands.
Is Desperados French or Dutch?
Desperados originated in France in 1995, but it is owned today by Heineken, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. So Desperados is a French-origin brand under Dutch ownership.
Is Desperados still owned by Heineken?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Desperados is still owned by Heineken. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2025 — Heineken N.V., Annual report, published 11 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026. The original address no longer opens it, so the link goes to an archived copy (original address).
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