Chimay

Name

Chimay

Legal name

Bières de Chimay SA

Website

https://chimay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trappist Brewery and Cheese Producer

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

Keywords

• Trappist beer brewing
• Belgian craft beer
• Trappist cheese production
• Monastery hospitality services
• Brewery tourism experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Chimay

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beer Production and Sales: Production and sale of Chimay Trappist beers (Red, Blue, Yellow/Gold, Grande Réserve, Triple, Doré). Sold directly at Espace Chimay, through the online shop, and via distribution partners.
2. Cheese Production and Sales: Production and sale of Chimay Trappist cheeses (Le Poteaupré, Grand Chimay, A la Bière, Vieux Chimay, Gourmand). Available in various formats including the new 200g block format.
3. Hospitality Services: Poteaupré Inn restaurant and brasserie (seating 150+), 8-room hotel (from €90/night), and seminar facilities for up to 28 people. Seasonal menus feature Chimay products.
4. Tourism and Experiences: Chimay Experience interactive exhibition (€5.50-€8 admission with optional beer tasting), shop sales, and branded merchandise.
5. Charitable Mission Revenue: As a Trappist monastery, the majority of revenue from beer and cheese sales is donated to social projects through Fondation Chimay-Wartoise and Cistercian Solidarity, coordinating regional charitable initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chimay produces and sells authentic Trappist beers (Red, Blue, Triple, Yellow/Doré, Grande Réserve) and Trappist cheeses (Le Poteaupré, Grand Classique, A la Bière, Vieux Chimay, Le Gourmand) brewed and crafted within Scourmont Abbey under monk supervision. Beyond products, it operates a visitor destination (Espace Chimay) with hotel, restaurant, and interactive exhibition, with the majority of proceeds supporting charitable causes via the Fondation Chimay-Wartoise.

Product overview

Chimay is a Belgian Trappist producer comprising Bières de Chimay SA, operating from the Abbey of Scourmont (founded 1850) near Chimay, Belgium. The product portfolio centers on two core categories: authentic Trappist beers (Chimay Red, Chimay Blue, Chimay Triple, Chimay Doré/Yellow, and Grande Réserve including limited collector editions) and Trappist cheeses (Le Poteaupré, Grand Classique, A la Bière, Vieux Chimay, and Le Gourmand). These products are distributed through the on-site Chimay Shop and the online webshop (chimayshop.be), with visitor experiences provided through the Espace Chimay complex — encompassing the Chimay Experience interactive exhibition and the Auberge de Poteaupré Inn (restaurant, hotel, and seminar facilities). Chimay also operates Club Chimay, an international network of authorized outlets, and publishes recipes celebrating its beers and cheeses as culinary ingredients. The company is wholly owned by the monastic community, with the majority of revenue donated to charitable causes via the Fondation Chimay-Wartoise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chimay Grande Réserve: Premium Trappist beer, available in 75cl bottles with aged variants in barrels
• Chimay Triple
• Chimay Red
• Chimay Blue
• Le Poteaupré
• Chimay Doré
• Grand Chimay
• A la Bière
• Vieux Chimay
• Le Gourmand
• Auberge de Poteaupré
• Chimay Experience
• Espace Chimay
• Fondation Chimay-Wartoise

Products and services

• Chimay Beers (Trappist Beers) Authentic Trappist beers brewed within Scourmont Abbey under monastic supervision, including Chimay Red (Rouge), Chimay Blue (Bleue), Chimay Triple, Chimay Doré (Yellow), and Grande Réserve. Produced following centuries-old brewing traditions with proceeds supporting charitable causes.
• Chimay Fromages (Trappist Cheeses) Trappist cheeses produced using ancestral monastic recipes and fresh milk from local farmers via the Coferme cooperative. Varieties include Le Poteaupré, Grand Classique, A la Bière, Vieux Chimay, and Le Gourmand, also available in a new 200g block format.
• Auberge de Poteaupré Inn A historic pub-restaurant-hotel located near Scourmont Abbey, welcoming guests for over 100 years. Features a brasserie accommodating up to 150 people with terrace, a seasonal menu of Chimay-accented dishes, 8 themed hotel rooms, and a seminar room for up to 28 people.
• Chimay Experience Exhibition Interactive permanent exhibition inviting visitors to discover the secrets, history, and craft behind Chimay Trappist beers and cheeses through animated models, virtual visitor books, ingredient displays, and aroma gardens. Approximately 40 minutes duration, with a complimentary 25cl Chimay tasting included.
• Chimay Shop (Online and On-site) On-site and online shop offering the full range of Chimay beers and cheeses, as well as regional products including cured meats, chocolate, and biscuits, plus Chimay-branded souvenirs such as t-shirts and glasses.
• Club Chimay Partner Network A network of official Chimay outlets, primarily in Italy, founded in 2013. Member venues must serve the full Chimay beer range, use authentic Chimay glasses, and source from official distributors. Members receive exclusive territory rights, advance product news, and numbered Club Chimay plaques.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of only 12 Trappist breweries worldwide, 5 in Belgium

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BrewrisecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 July 2013Official Italian distributor for Chimay beers through Club Chimay program. Ensures authenticity, quality, and territorial exclusivity for ~100 Italian partner establishments. Provides preferential commercial conditions and exclusive access to new products.
• Coferme (Coopérative de fromagerie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional milk cooperative supplying fresh milk from local farmers for Chimay cheeses. Critical supply chain partner enabling the Trappist cheese production with regional milk sourced within the Chimay area.
• International Trappist AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal certification body that grants the Trappist label to breweries and producers meeting strict criteria: production within monastery walls, under monk supervision, with proceeds supporting charitable causes. Chimay is one of 12 certified Trappist breweries worldwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brouwerij Lindemans: Family-owned Belgian lambic brewery with deep heritage and a portfolio of fruit and traditional lambics. Comparable to Chimay as a heritage Belgian specialty brewer with strong export presence and authentic artisan positioning, though not Trappist-certified.
• Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren: Belgian Trappist abbey famously producing only one beer in extremely limited volumes. Closely comparable to Chimay in model (monastic production, Trappist label, charity-linked), though dramatically more restricted in product breadth and distribution.
• Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval: Belgian Trappist abbey brewery producing a single flagship beer (Orval) with distinctive dry-hopping and Brett character. Direct comparable to Chimay given shared Trappist certification, monastery-based production, and charity-linked operations.
• De Achelse Kluis (Abdij der Trappisten van Achel): Small Belgian Trappist brewery producing a range of abbey ales. Operates under the same Authentic Trappist Product framework as Chimay, with monk-supervised production within the abbey walls.
• Stift Engelszell (Engelszell Abbey): Austrian Trappist brewery and the only Authentic Trappist Product-certified brewery outside Belgium. Operates the same certification model — in-monastery production under monk supervision with proceeds supporting the community — and competes internationally with Chimay in the Trappist category.
• Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy (Brasserie de Rochefort): One of the six Belgian Trappist breweries, producing three signature Rochefort ales in extremely limited quantities. Operates under identical constraints as Chimay: abbey-wall production, monk supervision, and Authentic Trappist Product certification.
• Spencer Brewery (St. Joseph's Abbey): American Trappist brewery at St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts, producing a portfolio of Trappist ales under monastic supervision. Direct comparable to Chimay in operating model and product format, with geographic relevance for Chimay's US website.
• Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Abdij der Trappisten van Westmalle): Belgian Trappist abbey brewery producing a similar narrow range of high-end Trappist ales (Extra, Tripel, Dubbel). Identical operating model: monastic production within abbey walls, Authentic Trappist Product certification, and proceeds supporting the monastic community.

Broad incumbents

• Duvel Moortgat: Large Belgian specialty brewing group behind Duvel, Vedett, Chouffe, and Liefmans. Comparable to Chimay as a premium-positioned Belgian brewer with international distribution, though operating as a commercial enterprise rather than a monastic producer.

Emerging players

• Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs: Belgian abbey brewery producing strong ales under an abbey association (not Authenticated Trappist Product). Partial comparable to Chimay in the abbey-beer category, operating more as a commercial brewery than a monastic producer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/chimay_official
• Xx.com/chimaytrappist
• Facebookfacebook.com/chimay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bi-res-de-chimay-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chimay