Today is the birthday of Leo van Munching (February 1, 1901-April 3, 1990). He was born in Harderwijk, Gelderland, in The Netherlands. He started importing Heineken beer under the name “Van Munching & Co., and he and his son, Leo van Munching, Jr., built it into a powerhouse imported beer brand. Sales Agents UK has an overview of their business strategy in a short piece entitled Leo Van Munching – The Story of the US Heineken Mogul.

Here’s his obituary from April 4, 1990’s New York Times