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.
For 20 years, Mario “Bolle” Jates has seen just about every sunrise on his way to delivering post to the people of Belgium’s German-speaking region in the east of the country.
Mario’s grandmother, Amelie, started a small post office in her stone-walled house in the early 1920’s. His father, Richard was a postman too. Ever since he was a child, Mario has watched his family bring new experiences into the homes of others around him: pieces of news from the region; a love letter; a message from a cherished friend; or some previously unknown information which would go on to enrich their lives.
Family and the post have always been connected. His job as a postman, with its early working hours, allows Mario to spend a lot of time with his wife, Alexandra, and two children, Adam (5) and Anna (3). He speaks enthusiastically about fatherhood and watching his children grow, explore, and learn.
When Mario finishes his shift as a postman, he changes from his B-post attire to a collared shirt, one on which the logo “Bollecious” is embroidered on the upper left side. Bollecious is Mario’s side hustle beer business. The name comes from the nickname his friends gave him at University: Bolle. The nickname originated in the title of a song from a German band, J.B.O.—sometimes known in their home country as James Blast Orchester—the lyrics of which describe how you can turn negative situations into something positive and laugh through life even when times are tough.
Bollecious was born in 2014, when Mario and his wife made a holiday advent calendar filled with 25 different beers from all over Belgium for their friends and family. The advent calendar was such a success, that now six years later he sells 500 calendars per holiday season. He has extended the Bollecious business to holding beer tastings and teaching people all over the region about Belgium’s beer culture. The tastings generally feature 4-6 beers, each of which is paired with food. In the early days of Bollecious, the tastings were for small groups. Now he hosts events with more than one hundred people in attendance.
“The best part about teaching people is opening their eyes to something new,” says Mario. “I apply this to all aspects of my life—with my children, Bollecious, and delivering the post.”
The best part about teaching people is opening their eyes to something new.
—Mario “Bolle” Jates
