Inside Brussels Beer Project: “Yes, we’re dreamers but that’s what keeps driving us on”

Four years after Olivier De Brauwere and Sébastien Morvan graduated from university in Canada, their shared passion for travel and beer was still bubbling away under their skin. But in 2013, when they were just coming up to 30, there was no further holding back for the two friends: with the backing of a crowdfunding campaign, Brussels Beer Project finally saw the light of day.

New recipes

“Olivier and Sébastien didn’t want to copy the age-old recipes, but to experiment and co-create,” says Sarah, stressing: “Their aim was then and still remains now to enable people to get to know ‘alternative’ beers or to allow their own beers to travel around the globe.”

Off to Anderlecht soon…

Now in the year 2020, Brussels Beer Project numbers 25 staff, plus an enthusiastic community of 4,000 true believers who follow them on social media. And where will the company be in five years’ time? “We’re currently producing around 2,000 bottles per day in our brewery in rue Dansaert. This is mainly to perfect our recipes and try out new things such as bitterer beers or barrel-aged beers,” Sébastien tells Sarah. “The large-scale production is contracted out to our partner Anders. However, we intend to open a second brewery of our own in Anderlecht in 2021 so that we can keep everything in-house.” 

Tap room in Tokyo

Brussels Beer Project has what are known as tap rooms – one in Brussels, one in Tokyo and two in Paris – so as to bring their beer to their communities.  “I happened to be in Japan last year and you could really see that their story is completely true,” says Sarah. “Hip labelling, a little bit daring, innovative... Sébastien told me that they also set great store by sustainable growth.  Outdoor equipment brand Patagonia is a major example for them.

Label B Corp

Apart from financing, they also obtain a lot of support on that front from Sofie, their relationship manager at BNP Paribas Fortis. They have for instance been talking with the Bank about obtaining B Corp certification.

B Corp is short for Benefit Corporation. B Corp certification indicates that the companies in question are striving to reach the highest standards in terms of social and environmental performance, responsibility and transparency. In this way they are helping to shift the economy towards inclusiveness and sustainability. Brussels Beer Project hopes that it will have been awarded the label by the end of 2020.

Best beer in the world

“Sébastien and Olivier want to grow the business without losing sight of their core values. They made a conscious decision to hire in an excellent four-man brewing team, consisting of a Portuguese, an Englishman, an American and a Belgian bio-engineer – ‘our dream team’, Sébastien called them when I was there with him – in order to, as they put it themselves, be able to produce the best beer in the world. The brewers, who come from diverse backgrounds, challenge each other the whole time, which brings forth creative ideas. They describe themselves as great dreamers, but that ensures they remain driven.”