Speakers

CEO of the St-Feuillien Brewery, Edwin DEDONCKER has been active in the distribution and agri-food sectors since the beginning. Holder of a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), born in Halle, located nearby Brussels, he started his career at Unilever’s and Sara Lee’s for 8 years. He combined several sales as well as marketing roles in both the off- as well as the on premise market. On the strength of this dual experience, he was approached in 2010 by the Chimay Brewery and Cheese company; where he successively held the positions of Sales and Marketing Director for one year and Managing Director for more than 7 years, for both Chimay companies. Beer became, along with cycling, one of his two greatest passions. During these years, he also became a member of the Management Committee of the Belgian Beer Experience (the future beer museum located in the buildings of the Brussels Stock Exchange), also becoming head of the Brewery Commission ITA (International Trappist Association ). 

End 2018, he took the path of an independent family brewery and joined the Brasserie St-Feuillien where he is in charge of the general management and also Board Member.

Brasserie St-Feuillien was founded in 1873 by Stephanie Friart, great-great-aunt of the current owners, Benoît Friart and Dominique Friart. Now led by their external CEO Edwin Dedoncker and the 5th generation of the family actively working as Supply Chain Director, the Friart’s continue to brew a wide range of beers, including the St-Feuillien Abbey range and their “Signature” products including Grand Cru, Saison, and Grisette, anchoring themselves firmly in the history of their region and continuing local tradition.

Always attentive to the market and keeping a keen eye of the quality of their products, the family brewery invests in sustainable equipment and applies its immense passion and formidable matching know-how to developing new beers, such as the gluten-free Grisette Blonde Organic and Grisette Citra Organic, as well as the very recent FIVE and St-Feuillien Quadruple. 

These last ten years have seen significant investment including the installation of a fully automated, high performance brewing hall, bringing the brewery’s annual production capacity up to 180.000 hl. 

A strategic master plan is currently setting up. It concerns the internalization of filtration, bottling and secondary fermentation in bottle. At the same time, all the brewing facilities will be moved from the historical site to the logistics site in a brand new building which will house all the installations. The historical site will become an authentic visitors’ center. 

Brasserie St-Feuillien will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year and is a member of the Belgian Family Brewers association.