The Antwerp port terminal: good for 2 billion glasses of beer
Leuven brews it, Antwerp stores it. Since 2012, the Antwerp-based logistics group Katoen Natie, the Leuven-based brewing giant AB Inbev, and the Port of Antwerp have worked together to store import and export beer in what is now the largest beer terminal in the world, on the south side of the Delwaide dock in the city on the Scheldt. If Katoen Natie gets the green light to expand, both their storage capacity and workforce will increase sharply in the coming years.
That is good news for job creation, but the environment also stands to benefit. Ecological supertrucks are already used to transport beer, with the result that there are fewer standard lorries on the road. If the expansion plans go ahead, trains may even be used to transport beer from the right bank to the left bank of the Scheldt, and inland vessels may also be used.
AB Inbev has already made the decision to invest €100 million to extend brewing capacity at Leuven, Jupille and Hoegaarden. The fact that Belgian beer was declared world heritage in 2016 was a significant factor in this decision. Hoegaarden in particular is exported to Asian markets, as it goes superbly with Asian cuisine. The Japanese like to serve the beer with sushi. As for Stella Artois, this beer mostly finds appreciative consumers in America.