Words and photos by Ashley Joanna
Edited by Breandán Kearney
Humans of Belgian Beer is a series of photographic portraits which celebrate a people and their culture.
Last summer, as David Verhaeghe prepared for unexpected surgery on a cancerous brain tumour, a barrage of thoughts raced through his mind. The words of his father—who he says was more like an older brother and who passed away when David was 23 years old—came flooding back like a river. He had flashbacks from his childhood, but also from more recently when he laughed and drank beers with his family and friends. He thought about the impact he had made in his life: on other people, and on the planet. But most of all, as he prepared himself for the brain surgery, he thought about how he didn’t want his daughter Anne to grow up without a father.
As a small child, David ran around the cobblestone streets of his hometown Bruges, dreaming of a fantasy world filled with castles and knights in shining armour. He played basketball, committing himself to long hours of practice. His strong will and dedication landed him a spot on the semi-professional national team and he would go on to coach the next generation of Belgian basketball players for a period. His father Norbert told him how lucky he was, giving him a mantra to live by: “Every day, the sun comes out for free. If you don’t understand and respect that, you are never going to be happy.”
Confident and hard-working, David worked in various marketing roles, travelling abroad a lot, but he was always drawn back to his medieval hometown. He wanted to promote the commercial and cultural history of the place he was from, and more than anything, he wanted to leave a positive mark on others and the environment. In 2005, his daughter was born, and they would grow a special bond as the years went on. Their “daddy daughter” dates consisted of talks about life during long walks along the nearby Dutch coastline where Anne now lives. David says their relationship is like the one he had with his own father, and that he feels more like an older brother to Anne than her father.
In 2017, David landed his current job, a role in the beer industry which has allowed him to make the impact he wants, both on other people, and on the planet. As a Senior Business Creator at OneCircle, the company who produces the KeyKeg, he champions Belgian beer culture by helping Belgian breweries export their beer in recyclable kegs all over Europe. The company uses a one-way PET keg; a sustainable keg that is much lighter than stainless steel, has no water-waste, is 100% recyclable, and has a long lasting shelf-life. David travels around Belgium to spend time with Belgian breweries who use Keykegs, often sharing a beer with brewers as a way of connecting.
After the surgery, David completed six months of chemotherapy and in January 2021, he was given the all-clear that he was free of cancer. He believes his strength to recover came from what he calls “his village”. It was the first moment in his life that he had to be completely vulnerable, and he says he learned to accept the help from his loved ones: family, friends, former teammates in basketball, and work colleagues at OneCircle. He realised he was not alone, and that you do not need to feel sad when your reality and your life is changing.
David feels much better today, but a year on, he still gets tired more often than he did before. His daughter Anne has been a huge support in her father’s recovery. During the second Belgian lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to bubble with each other, and they made up for the time they lost during David’s chemotherapy by laughing, eating, and talking together through the restrictions. David is back working with OneCircle, continuing to push for sustainability in the beer industry by promoting the Keykeg products, and he remains proud of his role in promoting Belgian beer culture to other countries. He says he’s grateful to have been born into a culture where loved ones celebrate and honour you, no matter what happens, and often with a beer in hand.
“A foreigner could not tell the difference [between] three hours after a Belgian funeral or [three hours after] a marriage,” he says. “Belgians will celebrate life at any occasion and enjoying a beer is the absolute best way to unlock yourselves.”
A foreigner could not tell the difference [between] three hours after a Belgian funeral or [three hours after] a marriage.
David Verhaeghe
