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Charles Leclef is the fifth generation owner of Brouwerij Het Anker in Mechelen. He took over from his uncle Michel Van Breedam in 1990 at the age of 24 and revived a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, Het Anker is the only brewery in Mechelen and a strong regional player.
He is also a key figure in the Belgian Brewers Federation. Leclef was chosen to serve a three-year term between 2011 and 2014 as “Grandmaster of the Knighthood of the Brewer’s Mash Staff”, a largely ceremonial role at the head of the Federation which would see him representing the organisation at national events such as the Belgian Beer Weekend in Brussels’ Grand Place each year. In 2018, he spearheaded a project to visit new breweries all over Belgium and show them that the Federation wanted to hear their stories.
In the same year, Charles Leclef became an elected city councillor of Mechelen as an independent candidate. He remains in office until 2024. In 2017, he was voted “Beer Man of the Year” by the Dutch Bier! Magazine, and “Mechelaar of the Year” by a coalition of Mechelen entrepreneur groups.
In 2019, Charles Leclef wrote a book entitled: “Fairism: An equitable form of coexistence”. It’s a new political and social movement he describes as being “a fair way to organise societies”. The name comes from other “isms”—liberalism, socialism, capitalism—none of which Leclef believes ensure a fair society. One of Fairism’s main principles is that of limiting capital, where people must accept that there is a fair limit to their personal assets.
In this interview, Charles Leclef discusses beer, business, and politics, and talks about how he turned around the fortunes of his historic family brewery.
Sit back, listen, and enjoy Charles Leclef of Brouwerij Het Anker.
