My Brilliant Career: Rejeanne Vlietman, MD of the Belgian Beer Company
Adding some Belgian hops to the hospitality recipe
Tell me about your job. I was working and part of the management at the Belgian restaurant Den Anker at the V&A Waterfront. Part of my role was the distribution of Belgian beer. As a result, I had good contacts with various breweries in Belgium, so I thought it would be a good idea to diversify and start an import and distribution business, bringing great Belgian beers to South Africa. We import beer that falls under the Duvel Moortgat Brewery, including Liefmans, Duvel, La Chouffe, Maredsous, Vedett and De Koninck beer - a total of 35 products, distributed throughout South Africa to all national retailers as well as liquor stores and restaurants. Between the two branches of the business, I oversee a team of 70. The industry is very male-dominated; how have you coped? It has been interesting at times and very much a case of learning as things crop up. What I didn't know I made it my business to learn fast. Not many people know that women brewers dominated alcohol production on every...
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