Brassicole

What Brassicole does

Brassicole (operating as La Brassicole) is a privately held Belgian organization founded in 2002 that produces a single annual beer festival in Vilvoorde, Belgium. The event is the company's core product, bringing together local beer enthusiasts, artisan brewers, and curious amateurs for in-person craft beer discovery, meal pairings, and direct brewer interaction. The 25th edition is scheduled for November 28, 2026 at Streekbaan 195, Vilvoorde, underlining the organization's two-and-a-half-decade continuity in the Belgian craft beer market.

The secondary product is Appicole, a mobile application for iOS and Android that serves as a year-round companion to the festival. The app provides a digital beer map for the event, allows users to save favorites and rate beers, and offers personalized recommendations for future tastings. Authentication is handled via Google or Facebook OAuth, and the app retains user email and beer-preference data for up to two years from last login.

The business model is event-driven: revenue comes from meal reservations and a complimentary beer per attendee, plus anniversary-edition merchandise sold through Google Forms. The app is positioned as freemium-style engagement rather than a paid product. Distribution is concentrated in the Flemish region of Belgium, with marketing run through a Facebook page, a Mailchimp newsletter, and the brassicole.be website. The organization employs approximately 6 people, has no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed ownership structure beyond being privately operated.

Name

Brassicole

Legal name

Brassicole

Website

https://brassicole.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brassicole (La Brassicole) is a privately held Belgian organization, founded in 2002, that runs an annual craft beer festival in Vilvoorde and operates the Appicole mobile companion app for beer discovery, ratings, and personalized recommendations among Belgian beer enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beer Festival and Event Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Beer festival events
• Craft beer tasting
• Artisan brewery gatherings
• Beer discovery app
• Brewery community events

Headquarters

HQ city

Vilvoorde

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Attendance: Annual beer festival entry fees and meal reservations. Customers reserve meal spots and receive a complimentary beer as part of the experience.
2. Merchandise Sales: Anniversary edition merchandise (clothing with event branding) sold to attendees and supporters
3. App Engagement: Mobile app drives ongoing user engagement and data collection for future event marketing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brassicole organizes La Brassicole, an annual beer celebration event held in Vilvoorde, Belgium, where attendees reserve meals (with a complimentary beer) and can purchase anniversary-edition merchandise. Alongside the event, Brassicole operates Appicole, a free mobile companion app (iOS/Android) that provides a digital beer map, favorite-beer saving, beer ratings, and personalized tasting recommendations for attendees and beer enthusiasts. Reservations and merchandise orders are processed through Google Forms, reflecting a low-overhead, direct-to-consumer event business model.

Product overview

Brassicole operates as a dual offering: La Brassicole is the core annual beer festival/event that celebrates beer diversity in Belgium, while Appicole is a complementary mobile application that enriches the event experience by providing digital features for beer discovery, rating, and personalized recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Appicole: Mobile application for beer mapping, tasting advice, beer ratings, and exclusive activities for La Brassicole events

Products and services

• La Brassicole (Annual Beer Event) An annual exclusive beer celebration event held in Vilvoorde, Belgium, bringing together adult beer enthusiasts (18+) to discover craft beers, meet talented brewers, and taste unique creations in a festive atmosphere. Attendees can reserve a meal (with a complimentary beer included) and purchase anniversary-edition merchandise.
• Appicole (Mobile Companion App) A free mobile companion app for iOS and Android that allows users to browse the digital beer map of available beers, save favorite beers, rate beers they have tasted, and receive personalized recommendations for future tastings. Login is performed via Google or Facebook account. Email addresses are retained for a maximum of 2 years after the last login.
• Anniversary-edition Merchandise Limited-edition anniversary merchandise featuring Brassicole event branding, sold to attendees and supporters to mark the 25th edition of La Brassicole.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RateBeer: Beer rating and review platform with strong Belgian beer coverage. Comparable to Appicole as a digital beer discovery and ratings destination.
• Untappd: Mobile application for beer discovery, ratings, and personalized recommendations with a global user base. Most directly comparable to Appicole in product functionality and target user (beer enthusiasts).
• BeerAdvocate: US-based beer ratings and review community with global coverage. Comparable to Appicole as a consumer-facing beer rating and recommendation platform.
• Zythos Bier Festival (ZBF): Major Belgian beer festival organized by Zythos vzw, a Belgian beer appreciation organization. Directly comparable to Brassicole as a recurring, community-driven Belgian beer festival with artisan brewer participation.
• BXL BeerFest: Brussels-based craft beer festival featuring independent Belgian and international breweries. Comparable as a craft beer tastings event with strong brewer community engagement.
• Belgian Beer Weekend: One of the largest annual Belgian beer festivals held on the Grand Place in Brussels. Comparable to Brassicole as a flagship Belgian beer celebration event focused on brewer meet-and-greets and curated beer tastings.
• Brussels Beer Challenge: Annual international beer competition and event in Belgium. Comparable to Brassicole as a Belgian beer industry event that connects brewers, enthusiasts, and media.

Emerging players

• Bruges Beer Experience: Beer museum and tasting experience in Bruges. Comparable to Brassicole as a beer-themed cultural attraction offering tastings and brewer storytelling in Belgium.

Others

• Belgian Brewers Association: Trade body representing Belgian brewers. Related ecosystem participant whose members supply beer to Brassicole and whose events shape the Belgian beer festival landscape.

Regional players

• Drinkbelgium: Belgian craft beer community and event organizer. Comparable to Brassicole as a Belgium-focused beer enthusiast community that curates events and content around Belgian craft brewing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brassicole

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Brassicole