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MBG International Premium Brands – Brands with added value

“We Love Liquids.” This slogan has accompanied MBG on its worldwide path of success since it was founded in 1993 under the name P.O.S. Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH: Strong brands have been established around the world in nearly 60 countries, with innovative own brands, renowned retail brands, great ideas and a lot of energy. With over 250 employees, the MBG Group currently generates over € 200 million and, every year, more than a million hectolitres are produced. The portfolio in Germany includes 12 own brands and 6 retail brands (from non-alcoholic drinks to low proof drinks to wines & spirits) for 90,000 customers.

“Our recipe for successful brands is the mixture of passion, conviction and knowledge of the market. If all goes well, names and products become new worlds which consumers love. Success is not always predictable, which means that courage is needed above all. The right moment has to be found and hard work put in, just like with a hit single: some are one hit wonders while others become classics.” Little can be added to this definition from Managing Director Andreas W. Herb. From the MBG Group headquarters in Paderborn, a great deal of expertise makes successful brands, tailored to the respective target group and the market segment. Many brands that are well known on shop shelves and in the gastronomy sector have played a role in the history of the company.

Participation in the World Spirits Award yielded gold for Dos Mas Nasty Nuts Shot.

Nyborg Distillery – Danish pioneer in organic production

In the port of Nyborg – at a good location on the E20 – a new meeting point for ‘spiritual’ and culinary experiences emerged. Since the opening in summer 2017, Niels and Nicolai Rømer, creative entrepreneurs and well-known organic pioneers, have been following the objective of creating an attractive place to stop on the way through Denmark – for locals as well as tourists.

In the distillery, the specialities are whisky, rum, gin, snaps (Aquavit) and brandy based on regional organic products – fruit from Fünen, the country’s third largest island. Experienced employees work with a passion to bring top quality into the bottle – and also produce bespoke spirits. At the Nyborg Distillery, customers can buy a whole barrel, which will be looked after according to their wishes, from the choice of fruit to the filling, including advice on storage, aromas and more.

Part of the building is used for gastronomy: with a bar, café and restaurant. The ambitious range includes organic cocktails made from in-house spirits, coffee and cake, daytime snacks and Smørrebrød, in the evening, regional Danish and Nordic dishes. A shop offers products from the distillery and also a selection from the Ørbæk brewery and from Mols Organic.

At the World Spirits Award, there was double gold for Organic Gin Distilled DEW 87°, Organic Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength, Ardor Isle of Fionia (World Spirits Award 2018 & Spirit of the Year 2018), gold for Organic Gin MIST 114°, Organic Gin Distilled Frost 92°, Organic Single Malt Whisky Ardor Isle of Fionia, and silver for Organic Rum Hurancán.

Kafi Liqueur: Exotic and refreshing

It happened in the kitchen of the restaurant in which Sem Vermeulen was working as an apprentice chef. His tasks included cleaning the freezer. Right at the back, covered with a white layer of snow, he spotted a kaffir lime. The fresh fragrance alone inspired the idea of making a liqueur out of it. However, some years were to pass from the coincidental find to the right recipe, with a whole host of experiments. In one’s youth, of course, one neither has the budget nor the means to acquire the best equipment. This led to a partnership with Toorank International Spirits in the Netherlands, a well-known craft distiller with over 40 years of experience, offering numerous trade brands alongside their own.

Kafi was conceived by a young team that is not afraid to be different from what the market is accustomed to or demands. Their forward-looking vision aims towards new taste trends for the drinks industry and Kafi is just the beginning. It started modestly with a batch of 5,000 bottles and has only been on the Dutch market since the end of August 2021. It is made with the greatest care, from the selection of the best products to the design of the bottle. The result: something refreshing, new, and surprising. A liqueur that is not disguised with sugar but presents itself as an exotic delicacy: with fresh tartness, pleasant sweetness and subtle bitterness. Kafi is also popular among cooks and bartenders, ideal for cocktails such as Mojito, combined with ceviche or for a delicious lemon tart – the possibilities abound.

At the World Spirits Award, Kafi Liqueur was awarded silver.