Fryns Distillery

Guillaume Fryns started the distillery G. FRYNS in the building 'In 't Claverblat', in the Lombaardstraat in Hasselt in 1887. Throughout its entire existence, FRYNS Distillery retains the image of the cloverleaf in its logo. This image was deposited in 1908.

After the death of Guillaume sr. in 1909, the sons Guillaume jr. and Jules continued the distillery. Due to Guillaume jr.'s 'out of the box' thinking, the company experienced tremendous growth. In addition to the distillery, a malting factory and an ice factory (Kanaalkom, now Quartier Bleu) were added. The company also set up branches in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Mons. To supply them with an average of 1,000 bottles per branch, trucks are on the road for 3 days.

The extra attention to packaging and promotional material gave the liqueurs, which were all the rage in the Roaring Twenties, national and international appeal. During the Second World War, activities came to a standstill for quite some time. Jules refused to cooperate with the occupying forces, so everything had to be rebuilt after 1945. Spurred on by the third generation, reconstruction, expansion and tradition continue. FRYNS continues to innovate creatively during these years. For example, the company was the first to launch long drinks (pre-mix cocktails).

In 1979, the family business was taken over by investors, and then by Bruggeman who also acquired SMEETS from Hasselt. The latter acquisition resulted in the appearance of a new 6500 m² building on the Grote Ring in Hasselt. This was the end of 53 years of activity in the building on Martelarenlaan. In 1995, FRYNS moves from Hasselt to Ghent. This marked the end of activities in Hasselt.

Today it is time for a new chapter: the RENAISSANCE of FRYNS. After taking over Graanstokerij Wissels in 2017, the FRYNS brand will also return to the family in 2018. Michel Fryns, fourth generation, is acquiring the brand back from Bruggeman and reinstalling the entire distillery in Hasselt. After 25 years, FRYNS is finally back home in Hasselt!

In 2021, Céleste Fryns, fifth generation, joins the family business as the first female member of the family. Their dream is to make FRYNS a renowned company again and put genever back on the map. After all, genever is a versatile, delicious and top Belgian product. The experience of the fourth generation together with the fresh energy of the fifth generation is the ideal combination to make FRYNS and genever a success story.