So will VHL Leeuwarden students all be knocking back Sonnema Berenburg now?
‘Quite a lot of Berenburg is drunk here already. We get through about 300 bottles a year. To put that in perspective: it’s about the same for wine. Other spirits go at the rate of about 75 bottles a year. Sonnema started active sponsoring of student societies a year ago, so when I got in touch with them they were immediately keen. Something could be arranged, they said.’
What do you get from Sonnema?
‘We get 450 euros to spend on merchandise. Caps, scarves, posters, that sort of thing. We raffle them by giving away a raffle ticket with every shot of Berenburg. If we sell more Sonnema this year than last year, they’re prepared to do more for us. For example, we could get a discount on the drink we buy from them. In exchange for that, we won’t sell any other brands of Berenburg. Not a problem , as we’ve never done so anyway.’
Berenburg us an old man’s drink isn’t it?
‘Not at all, everyone drinks it here. Mainly the guys though, and mixed with coke. They’ll drink beer all evening. Then before they leave, they’ll say, ‘Just one Beco for the road.’