Popular Utrecht brewery bankrupt, but still optimistic about reopening

De Lekkele was declared bankrupt on Thursday. Utrecht’s popular brewery was hit hard by delayed relocations, labor shortages and soaring raw material prices just before the pandemic. But there is a lot of enthusiasm for the restart, said bankruptcy trustee Aniek Gielen. RTL news.

Bankruptcy only affects breweries, not cafes with the same name.

De Leckere was founded in Utrecht in 1997 and achieved a turnover of around €6 million last year. Producing organic beer without the use of fossil fuels, it claims to be ‘the most sustainable brewery in Holland’.

In 2001 the brewery moved from Utrecht to nearby De Meern, as more beer could be brewed in the new location. Demand for his beer continued to grow and in 2018 the brewer returned to Utrecht and moved to an even larger brewery in Werksporfabrik.

In retrospect, the move laid the groundwork for bankruptcy. The directors told Gielen that it was postponed many times and ended up costing more than expected. The move may have worked, but just a year later came the coronavirus pandemic. Over the next two years, catering establishments were forced to close multiple times during lockdowns, depriving de Lecquere of his biggest clientele.

De Reckele entered the coronavirus crisis with a “pretty large amount of debt,” but the debt got worse when he had to start paying off deferred taxes after the pandemic, directors told Gielen. “They couldn’t pay the rent. In fact, they were drowning in debt,” Gielen concluded. “The shortage of raw materials for sand became the last resort.”

But the bankruptcy trustee added that there appears to be ample opportunity for a restart. There is a lot of interest in the market for de Reckele to stay on. Over the past two days, “dozens of candidates” have come forward.

Gielen plans to speak with everyone involved and help find the best way forward for the brewery.