Kever Genever makes Dutch gin trendy again
The traditional Dutch gin is making a comeback in the Dutch hospitality industry. Where this summer you will see mostly gin and vermouth on your menu, 2017 will be the year of the Dutch gin. We spoke with Sebastian Kolstee, one of the founders of Kever Genever.
Kever Genever
Sebastian is one of the four men behind Kever Genever. Along with Leonard, Benedict and Ruben they are extremely busy. Dutch gin is becoming more and more popular in the Netherlands. Sebastian: “Dutch gin is getting trendy again, you see that currently the bigger brands are also trying to get Dutch gin back on the market. Where this summer you will see menu’s mostly full with gin and vermouth, 2017 will be the year of the Dutch gin. A logical continuation of the Gin-hype “.
A logical continuation therefore, because gin is also seen as the ancestor of the gin. The story goes that Dutch gin was frequently drunk by the Dutch troops during the Anglo-Dutch wars in the 17th century. This imbibed courage was conceived by the British as ‘Dutch Courage’ after which they went searching for a liquor such as Dutch gin. Unfortunately, the British didn’t dominated distilling as good as the Dutchman and due to that there arose a drink that looked like Dutch gin, but never really was. That’s how gin was born.
For Kever Genever it all started in Sweden, where Leonard and Sebastian studied entrepreneurship together. This is where the idea of giving Dutch gin a second life arose. After a good test session in Italy, the name Kever Genever surfaced. “We were in Italy with Leonard who has a pop-up hotel there. Here we were with 20 different Dutch gins that we were tasting when we saw a beetle sitting on one of our glasses. Besides the fact that Kever Genever sounds good, it is also true that the beetle is findable anywhere around the world. As in old times, Dutch gin was consumed worldwide“, said Sebastian.
Future
If it were up to Sebastian, this should continue to be the case. Where the men are currently focusing on the Netherlands, the aim is to end up abroad. Sebastian: “We have been approached by other countries to also sell our product there. There is demand from Italy, Scandinavia and Germany. Which is not that crazy. Besides it being a Dutch product, we’re also known for the quality. We are reliable and have a good reputation. We also have ambition and our focus is ultimately on export. Now we are focussing on the Netherlands, but ultimately we want more. ”
About the question if Kever Genever can remain between the major brands like Hooghoudt, Hopma and Bols, is Sebastian very clear: “People are looking for smaller brands. The brands with a story. That is what happens with the special beers as well. We’re all looking for the craft, the real. The larger brands that do almost nothing but “blending”, over 90% of the ‘real’ process happens in countries such as Belgium. In the Netherlands, they only blend and place it on the market. ”
So the coming period will be busy, but fun for Kever Genever. Time for the “old farts” image that Dutch gin is carrying out to disappear, they expect that this certainly will succeed. If not this year than most definitely next year. Dutch gin is getting trendy again!
Website: Kever Genever
