Brasserie Seelander

The origins of the name and logo

I could stop at the fact that in our region everything tends to be called « Seeland » (the land of lakes, whose capitals are the towns of Bienne, Nidau and Cerlier).
Many shops and companies have chosen this name to show their belonging to this geographical area (Boucherie Seeland, Seeland Brau, Seeland JOB, Chiropraktik Seeland, Pizza Seeland and so on).

« Seelander » not only evokes our region, but we also wanted to give it a medieval and chivalrous connotation: « Seelander, the Knight of Hops ».
Hence the nod to our logo, a knight in armor displaying a fourquet in his hand as a sword.

The logo was drawn by my wife and digitized by me. It looks very artisanal and that’s the goal.
We see ourselves as a small regional and artisanal brewery.

The beginnings of the founder/brewer

Davide Nuzzello, founder of the brewery, started in his kitchen like many brewers. After two unsatisfactory brewing kits, he decided to go all-grain directly.

This will be done after the production of a homemade pico brasserie and the requisition of the family laundry room. Since then he has been able to experiment with different recipes that he developed on his own while learning on the Internet and in books.

A year later he took part in his first competition (Beer Contest organized by Brau and Rauch Shop) and he won 3rd place in the Porter category with his dark beer specially brewed for the occasion. This victory motivated him and he said to himself: And why not try to found a micro brewery, the potential is there.

This is how the dream began.

Arrangement of temporary premises

The fitting out of the temporary premises began in May 2020 while waiting for suitable premises to be found.
The purchases of devices are done little by little according to the finances of the founder. In fact, we want to self-finance the brewery without requiring bank loans. The estimated cost of the project is 40'000 CHF.

We started by cleaning the premises (a 60 m2 apartment modified to accommodate the equipment), setting up the stock and the amateur brewing installation which we now use to develop new recipes.

At the end of September 2020 we ordered and installed the bottling area in the temporary premises.

At the end of January 2021 we ordered the 500L production unit as well as the brewing equipment from Polsinelli. They finally arrived in early July.
The package contained: Two 500L tanks (sparge and boiling), one 300L tank (sparge), one 50L tank with automatic emptying system (buffer tank), control unit, 3 gas burners and plate cooler.

The order for the fermenters was placed in September 2021, two 525L tanks as well as the entire cooling system.

Layout of the final premises

October 16, 2021, we finally received the keys to the final premises. Located in Biel in the Madretsch district. Area of 150m2.
The moving of the equipment and its fitting out could begin just after receiving the keys.

We had to imagine the spaces and arrange the premises.
Move the equipment from the temporary premises and install it, install the water supply and electricity in the production area. Install a stainless steel sink and connect it to the water inlet and drain. Install a ventilation system to evacuate cooking steam and humidity (which was ultimately removed).

The layout and installation part was very informative and allowed me to learn a lot of things in different areas.
My father helped me with this work, which allowed us to spend time together, nothing but happiness.

In 3 months, everything was installed and functional. It is January 2022 and we can begin the administrative procedures.
The administrative procedures will take more than 2 years and cost a lot of money before I can produce or sell a single bottle of beer.

Authorization and opening of the shop

May 1 2024, we have finally completed all administrative procedures and received the operating authorization for fermented alcoholic beverages.
We can finally sell our products to bars, restaurants, specialized stores and to the end consumer.

A new challenge opens up for us, approaching future customers. While we are still learning, we are more motivated than ever.

On May 9 2024 we opened the online shop to the public.

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