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Clients

Vanuxeem takes care of the hospitality industry with a smile

Sector

Brewery & Wholesale

Location

Ploegsteert

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You name it, Vanuxeem has it. In the warehouse you will find the right glass of each beer, gift baskets, packaging, chips, coffee creamers, beer kegs, etc. Vanuxeem offers a total care for the hospitality industry!

Vanuxeem is the largest independent distributor of beverages in Belgium and buys the beers directly from the various breweries in large volumes. This allows Vanuxeem to continue to guarantee this independence. Vanuxeem also distributes soft drinks, spirits and wines directly from France under its own label.

"Beverage centers, cafes and restaurants can count on us for a correct, fast and no-nonsense service with a smile. We deliver right down to the cellar! An order placed before 12:00 p.m. is delivered the next day without error."

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"On the tax and legal side, our advisors at Titeca are our eyes and ears in the market. With substantiated and good advice, Titeca helps us even further"

Vanuxeem conquers (the world)

As the reference for beverage distribution in the domestic market, Vanuxeem is also active in the export market, where our Belgian beers continue to be popular. From Ploegsteert, a unique range of more than 1000 different beers is distributed all over the world, to 50 different countries. This family business will continue its work in the years to come and will continue to promote our Belgian beers locally and internationally.

An extraordinary beer story      

Originally, Vanuxeem was a brewery, started in 1906. The business evolved into a drinks distributor. In 1987, the current managers, Alexandre and Arnaud Mahieu, took over the business of their great-grandfather in Ploegsteert. At the time, the company had three employees, a 150 m² beverage shop, a 300 m² warehouse and a turnover of approximately €300,000.

Meanwhile, 120 employees work at Vanuxeem Brewery on a total area of 43,000 m², store, offices, warehouses as well as unloading and loading areas. In 2016, Vanuxeem realized a turnover of €86 million.

Vanuxeem's offices are located above the daily busy liquor store in Ploegsteert. It is often a struggle to find a parking space here. Not much further on, you can also drop in to buy drinks in a second, smaller drinks store in Waasten.

Liquid heritage     

With the takeover of Alexandre and Arnaud, the brewing story also started up again in '87. Now Vanuxeem is brewing its own beer, Queue de Charrue, literally Ploegsteert, in 5 different varieties. A brown beer, a Tripel, a blond beer, a red beer and an amber beer. Queue de Charrue has also received many World Beer Awards this year.

All trading activities are centralized in Ploegsteert. The beer Queue de Charrue, however, is brewed at different breweries by order and according to the secret recipes of Vanuxeem.

The Vanuxeem Difference             

Vanuxeem has a driven team behind it. 22 own trucks with their own drivers and 'convoyeurs', flanked by employees who swiftly compose and prepare the orders according to the order notes they receive from their commercial colleagues. Vanuxeem prefers a personal approach, close contact with its customers and always strives for the best and most extensive service in the beverage landscape.

The business managers Alexandre and Arnaud Mahieu provide a fine example of servant leadership. At his desk, just in the middle of his commercial team, Alexandre takes care of the commercial side of Vanuxeem. His brother, Arnaud, is responsible for the correct logistics with his team. You will often find him busy on the pickup truck putting together orders.

The Vanuxeem entrepreneurial secret?

"It can always be better! With our eyes and ears in the market, we continuously invest in the company. We change, we grow, we deliver. On the tax and legal side, our advisors at Titeca are our eyes and ears in the market. With substantiated and good advice, Titeca helps us even further"

The managers and their colleagues always keep their finger on the pulse of the market and are open to changes and suggestions. "'Tis how we grew, it's not that we had the ambition to become the biggest, but we are always driven in the numbers, we want to keep growing. We have over 1000 customers and even if we lose one customer, that's not good! If you think you are there, then it is too late. We are also constantly investing here, in trucks with a euro 6 standard, solar panels, etc. We also invest along with our customers, new catering businesses can also count on our support through the refrigeration we provide them with, etc. Vanuxeem has a good name! And we work hard on it every day. Our motto: A good day and 'thank you' cost nothing."

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