"We dream large for a future with more to celebrate."

Over 800 years ago, AB InBev had humble beginnings in the experienced hands of beer-brewing Belgian monks. The beginning of one of their original beer brands, Leffe, was in their abbeys.

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Michele van Spilbeeck Sales Director AB InBev

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Video: Michele van Spilbeeck talks about AB InBev

In this video, Michele van Spilbeek, Sales Director of AB InBev, talks about her company, the bond with city of Breda and international entrepreneurship.

Over 800 years ago, AB InBev had humble beginnings in the experienced hands of beer-brewing Belgian monks. The beginning of one of their original beer brands, Leffe, was in their abbeys. I speak with Michele van Spilbeeck. She is sales director on trade at AB InBev. “AB InBev is a brewer, it is as simple as that. We brew and sell beer. It’s an international company as we are the largest brewer in the world. We have breweries all over the world and also in the Netherlands. Our head office is located in the Ceresstreet here in Breda.”

So, you come from this area?

Yes, we are rooted in Breda. If you go to the city centre, there are a lot of locations where you can find our beers and where bar owners are very proud to serve our beers. We are growing each year and our ambition is to become market leader in the Netherlands. We are expanding throughout the whole of the Netherlands, which doesn’t lessen our pride in being here, knowing that some of our breweries are also still in the south of the Netherlands. We will always be closely connected to Breda. We clearly have a local heritage.

What is the ambition of AB InBev?

If you look more closely at the ambition of AB InBev internationally, we have a quote saying that “We dream big for a future with more reason to say “cheers!”. What is embedded in that quote is that we like to dream big, that we are ambitious, and that we want to bring more reasons to celebrate in the world. This I think is very relevant in today’s world.

We spoke about your ambitions on sustainability. Can you tell me more about the goals in this field?

We want to make sure that our brewery is carbon neutral, and this needs to be the case by 2030. This for example means that we aim for completely green logistics. This is quite unique in our sector. Looking on a larger scale, we try to make our packaging as circular as possible. Here as well, we need to go to 100% circular packaging by 2030. And finally, we already have one brand that is made with 100% renewable electricity.

Another interesting ambition is on alcohol-free beers. Some people ask us why? Why would you want to sell more 0.0 beers? However, looking at the trends in the industry and the behaviour of our consumers, we notice that people are more conscious of what they drink, when they drink and with whom they enjoy a beer. We see that people increasingly choose for a 0.0 beer, a non-alcoholic beer.

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Perhaps it’s an unusual question, but aren’t you a very young sales director? Can you elaborate?

Here at AB InBev, your background doesn’t matter, nor how old you are or where you come from. That is something I very specifically like about the AB InBev culture. And you are right, looking at my personal example, some people could question how a 32-year-old woman can be a sales director at such a large global brewer. I must say, I'm very proud that the company has given me this chance. Like me, I think a lot of my colleagues can state that the company is providing numerous opportunities. If you show up, show results, and demonstrate what you can contribute to the company, opportunities will come your way. I'm very proud that the company dares to take a bet on people.

I also experience how we work with a strong shared ambition. We have ten leading principles that everybody working here knows by head and by heart. This fuels our shared passion for beer and working in the beer industry.

What do you wish for the future of Breda?

If there's one thing that I wish for the city of Breda, it's that it stays the beautiful local city that it is. And in a broader vision of what Breda can be, both in the Netherlands and internationally, I wish for her is similar to what we have for our company. To dream big, and not just on paper. Make the dream real. We are committed to contributing to this dream.

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Jeroen van Glabbeek CEO/Co-founder CM.com

"You can do anything mediocre, but I just don't like that."
You can do anything mediocre, but I just don't like that.
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Peter de Vos CEO Breda Location VDL Steelweld

"Everything we do is based on technology."
Everything we do is based on technology.
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