Royal designation for Swinkels Family Brewers

27-03-2019

A royal honour at the kick-off of the 300th anniversary of brewery Bavaria

Lieshout 27 March 2019 - Swinkels Family Brewers has been granted the designation "Royal" by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, which means that the company may now call itself Royal Swinkels Family Brewers. This honour can be regarded as the crowning glory of 300 years of brewery Bavaria and was presented by Wim van de Donk, Royal Commissioner of the Province of North Brabant, prior to the celebration. The presentation took place in the presence of the Swinkels family and the brewer's employees. Mayor Frank van der Meijden of the Municipality of Laarbeek was also present.

Royal recognition at the 300th anniversary
Jan-Renier Swinkels, Head of the Board of Directors: "It is a privilege to carry the Royal designation. This could not have come at a better time than during the kick-off for the festivities surrounding our 300th anniversary. It is a recognition of everyone who contributed to the quality, growth, sustainability and innovations of this beautiful brewery during those 300 years. Three centuries of entrepreneurship, passion for beer and craftsmanship that has been passed on from generation to generation. It is also an extra incentive to do even better; for our breweries and everyone involved, for the family and the society in which we are rooted. The milestone of 300 years of brewery Bavaria is something to reflect upon and celebrate, and the fact that we can now also call our company Royal Swinkels Family Brewers makes the party complete!"

Royal Commissioner, Wim van de Donk: “Wim van de Donk, Royal Commissioner: “Swinkels Family Brewers is a leading family business in the Province of North Brabant. An enterprise cherishing a tradition of three centuries, a family business that manages to unite tradition and innovation in a product that greatly reflects the Brabant spirit. As always it has been a special honour and pleasure to present the ‘Royal’ designation as it constitutes a special moment that definitely deserves our congratulations.”

Local and international consolidation
Swinkels Family Brewers started 300 years ago in Lieshout in Brabant and is still an independent family business today. After years of growth, the company currently has seven breweries and dozens of brands. It is now the seventh generation of the Swinkels family that heads the company. The seventh generation took over from the sixth generation in 2007.

The family business has grown in recent years through acquisitions, including those of Palm Belgian Craft Brewers in 2016 and Bier&cO, one of the largest beer importers in Europe, in 2018. The company also grew substantially thanks to a collaboration with the Ethiopian local population, resulting in the establishment of a local brewery in Ethiopia, called Habesha.