Latis Imports in Ridgefield has expanded its portfolio past the borders of Belgium to Bavaria, Germany where it has taken on Arcobräu, a brew owned by German royalty and Greenwich resident Count Riprand Arco-Zinneberg.
Latis, founded in 2007 by two former InBev executives David van Wees and Anthony Giardina, began Latis as the only importers of Palm Ale, one of Belgium”™s oldest beers. The company has since taken on other Belgian beer brands Boon Lambics, Rodenbach, and Steenbrugge. Now with 14 employees, Latis”™ area ranges up and down the East Coast. The company supplies more than 100,000 pints of Palm Ale each month to about 300 taps in the New York metro area.
Giardina and van Wees said Latis will be expanding their eclectic portfolio further, and are in talks with brewers in the United Kingdom, as well as some American craft brewers.
“We”™re building a nice infrastructure,” Giardina said.
“Arcobräu has had very little exposure in the U.S., so naturally we”™re thrilled to introduce the American beer drinker to this gem,” Giardina said. “The brewery has been in the Arco family since 1567 and they”™re still brewing it according to the same secret recipes. We”™re very excited to have this such a great compliment for the Palm portfolio.”
Giardina said small quantities of the beer were shipped to North Carolina to accommodate a special request from the Count and his wife the Archduchess when they moved to the U.S. in 1983. Arco-Zinneberg is also the chairman of the American Asset Corporation in Raleigh, N.C.
The Arcobräu brewery produces around 17,500,000 liters per year, with very little selling outside its home region.
Giardina said Arcobräu has a unique process in brewing its beer that”™s almost unheard of in the industry. The yeast for each batch brewed is only used once and discarded after each brewing. The brewery believes yeast loses its full effectiveness over time and further changes character by being weakened with each use. The water used for the Arcobräu portfolio comes from a 10,000-year-old spring that is certified mineral water and the brewing of the beer is in accordance with German purity laws.
The brewery produces all traditional styles of Bavarian beer, though Latis will introduce three styles into the U.S.; Urfass Lager, Zwickl Lager, and Pale Wees NA, a non-alcoholic beer.
“It”™s well documented that expert beer drinkers fail to recognize this beer as non-alcoholic,” van Wees said. “Most beer drinkers leave the category when you come to non-alcoholics because often you sacrifice taste. That should be an interesting offering.”
Urfass lager and Zwickl will be available on draft and in 6-pack bottles; Pale Weis NA will only be available in bottles.
“We are fortunate to live in an area where we”™re surrounded by great beer marketers,” said Arco-Zinneberg, owner of Arcobräu. “David and Anthony really demonstrated the knowledge and experience Arcobräu needs to be successful in this country and that”™s why we chose Latis to be our importer.”
