Delicious Jopen craft beer, delivered by cargo bike

Beers from Jopen – who doesn’t know them. Jopen, named after the Jopen church in Haarlem, is the largest independent craft beer brewer in the Netherlands. And independence also translates into Jopen delivering beer by electric cargo bike. Fresh and smooth beer delivery by electric cargo bike instead of traffic jams and vans in the city.

From hoppy IPAs to dark heavies, they’re all to choose from on the shelf. We speak with Michelle Le Fevre – Trade Marketer at Jopen – about how the electric cargo bike delivers beer.

Tell us, how do you guys use the cargo bike?

During the first covid period, we decided to provide our beloved guests of Jopenkerk with beers for home. There was the option to place an order and pick it up at the Jopenkerk. The second option was for us to deliver the beers by electric cargo bike. We could provide many craft beer lovers with cold and fresh Jopen beer.

The colleagues love that they can work at the Jopen Church and also bike around town. The electric cargo bike is then full of Jopen beer. When the customer arrives, we personally make sure that the shelves are refilled and that the Jopen beers look great.

Waarom gebruiken jullie een elektrische bakfiets? 

We chose the electric cargo bike so we can easily maneuver through the city and maneuver and we can get to the customer faster. It is also a more sustainable solution for us than using a bus.

The advantage is that we no longer have to look for a parking spot. We can unload the beer directly in front of the customer’s door. On the cargo bike you are out in the fresh air and you can cycle past all the traffic jams in Haarlem. It gives you a bit of freedom because it is always possible to cycle past a customer who needs our help and supply at the last minute.

What reactions did you guys get? 

The reactions we get are always positive! The customers find it unexpected that we come with an electric cargo bike with so many boxes of beer coming out of it. They are always very happy that we can come and deliver extra beer quickly. Of course, our brand awareness also grows because so many people see our bikes.

What are the experiences with electric cargo bike? 

For us, it gives us a bit of freedom in terms of planning and efficiency. We are flexible in the city and can pass over all. Even though the weather is not always great in the Netherlands, it is much better to be on a bike than in a bus in a traffic jam.

What are the distances you guys ride per trip? 

The distances we cycle vary a lot, we mainly use the bike in and around Haarlem. We cycle up and down 5 days a week from our brewery in the Waarderpolder to the Jopen church in the center of Haarlem and between our customers. Added together, that’s quite a lot of miles.