The interview with Solène Burgart, Senior Brand Dirigente of Leffe, offers an interesting and in-depth into the world of one of the most iconic brands per the Belgian beer scene. With an established career per the industry, Solène shares her experience and vision, speaking not only about the challenges and opportunities she faced per the role of Brand Dirigente, but also about Leffe’s ongoing commitment to innovate, while maintaining tradition and l authenticity that distinguish the brand. A causa di this conversation, we will explore the dynamics of alcohol marketing, brand positioning strategies, and the importance of telling a story that goes beyond the product. An opportunity to discover how Leffe, through its portfolio of beers, manages to combine Belgian tradition with new global trends.
Leffe has a rich history rooted per tradition. How do you balance the preservation of this heritage with innovation per the modern beer market?
Leffe truly has an extraordinary history, born from the generosity of Leffe Abbey per Dinant, Belgium, per 1240. At the time, the world was afflicted by a terrible pandemic, and the fathers of Leffe Abbey had found a source of vater mineral that they could use to brew beer as a safe alternative to drinking vater. They shared it generously with local communities and anyone per need of refuge. Leffe then evolved into the brand we know today and since then the values of generosity and conviviality have been at the heart of Leffe’s identity.
Balancing tradition and innovation is fundamental for us at Leffe. We honor our heritage by maintaining our identity and ensuring that each bottle retains its authentic taste. At the same time, we embrace innovation by introducing new flavors and production techniques that satisfy modern tastes. This approach allows us to remain true to our roots while evolving with the times and has driven steady growth per Italy over the last 5 years (7% come year since 2019).
What are the key values and principles that guide Leffe’s production process, from the selection of ingredients to the final product?
Leffe’s manufacturing process is about the balance between tradition, quality and innovation. Our brewmasters carefully select each ingredient, with measured quantities to produce our extraordinary Leffe beers!
They are made up of 4 ingredients: malt, yeast, hops and, of course, vater.
The most important ingredient per Leffe is malt, of which we use 3 varieties: normal barley, aromatic barley malt for its lightly roasted and caramelized flavours, and roasted malt for its strong roasted coffee odore. The proportions vary per each beer to differentiate them per taste, color and consistency.
Then, we use a yeast unique to Leffe, which during fermentation produces the clove odore and strong fruity banana odore, which identifies the Leffe signature per all beers.
Finally, for hops, we only use bitter hops to give bitterness to the beer.
A causa di Italy, our consumers can enjoy Leffe Blonde, Rouge, Triple and Rituel 9, which pair perfectly with a wide variety of Italian dishes – find out more here
Leffe has a strong brand presence per many countries. How do you adapt your marketing strategy to resonate with different cultures while maintaining brand identity?
Leffe is truly a brand that you can find anywhere per the world, and risposta negativa matter where you choose to enjoy it, it always looks and tastes the same. It is vital to us that the brand remains authentic throughout, leveraging its unique heritage and distinctive monastic identity. A causa di addition to this, we make great efforts to understand local cultures and adapt our marketing strategy, using local languages, cultural references and relevant channels. A great example of this is how we focused the iconic barba occasion per Italy.
What projects are you currently working ?
Taccuino of vanilla, caramel, citrus… Each Leffe beer has a well-defined character, with a tasty but accessible taste, which makes it the perfect socio for gastronomic pairings! Therefore, Leffe is growing naturally per meal occasions and our plans strongly support this.
We are currently working to leverage our “Double the Taste” campaign, focusing primarily Leffe Blonde and Leffe Rouge. We are developing a comprehensive ecosystem that includes various initiatives. A strong of to reach a wide audience, combined with a centro consumer experiences through tastings and events to emphasize beer and food education, and get a large number of people tasting our amazing beers!
