Activities brewery De Molen will stop

28-01-2025

On Thursday, January 23, a request for advice was submitted to the Works Council with the intention of stopping activities at the De Molen brewery in Bodegraven on October 1, 2025. Yesterday, 19 March, the Works Council informed Royal Swinkels that it would advise positively on this request, making the decision final.

In recent years, the number of craft beers and local breweries in the Netherlands and many other European countries has increased significantly, while the demand for beer in the Netherlands is declining and many craft beers are under pressure . This has resulted in a large overcapacity in production and low utilization due to these developments, which has put pressure on the results for some time. In the current setup, it will not be possible to make a profit in Bodegraven, which is one of the reasons why Royal Swinkels stops production at that location. We are exploring the possibility of relocating the equipment to other Royal Swinkels breweries where it can be utilized.

Although this is a tough and sad decision, we are proud of everything we have achieved in Bodegraven together with the 12 employees who work there. Brewery De Molen has been instrumental in the development of craft beer in the Netherlands. It is and will remain an iconic brand with iconic beers.

The Borefts craft beer festival will take place on September 19 and 20. A great initiative by the employees of De Molen that we are proud of.