Flavoring Gradoen

The love for brewing beer as well as Maasheggen is what drives Gradoen. They source herbs from the Maasheggen area, use regional hops from BrabantHop and the tastiest Maasheggen honey from Rob, the local beekeeper. Other ingredients come from growers who handle their products with care. Gradoen makes pure and unprocessed beers without unnecessary additives.

What started as a hobby 15 years ago, with a Hema beer brewing kit, has now become its own beer label. Gerard Kusters started Gradoen with an inspired friend, but now his wife Helen is by his side. Gerard originally comes from the food industry, Helen especially has creative and commercial qualities. Together, they are a perfect business match.
Gerard Kusters: "Everything comes from Maasheggen, starting with the names. For example, we make the Preacher, the Hoppekamp and the Apotheker. Those are old names of lots in the Maasheggen. The Gouden Hiep is one of our most special beers and is named after the title you can win during the NK Maasheggenvlechten. It is a tripel with Maasheggen herbs and honey. This beer has received the UNESCO label; 5% of sales also goes to the preservation of the Maasheggen. Something we do with love for this special nature reserve.
What we as Gradoen also consider important is ... not wasting anything! We are constantly testing different recipes to ultimately create the perfect beer. But what happens to all the leftover beer? Right, we don't let a drop go to waste. Together with Puurdutch and Doe farm An't Hoag, we turned the leftover beer and sweet potato into something delicious: beer liqueur. That's another toast with a positive impact!"

Six beers
Gradoen currently has six different beers in its lineup, with another bock beer and a limited edition stout coming out in late 2023. "We continuously challenge ourselves to create new flavors," says Helen Kusters-Bekkers. "So nice to involve the region in this as much as possible. With other local entrepreneurs but therefore also literally with the ingredients. The Maasheggen is my native soil so it literally used to be my flora and fauna playground. So nice to be able to work with this!

Future plans
Gradoen has ambitious plans for the future. The brewer wants to provide even more hospitality venues throughout the country with their beers. With a mission to put Gradoen, De Maasheggen and the Land van Cuijk on the national map. They want to be an ambassador for this region and let people enjoy their passion for specialty beer and the natural heritage of the Maasheggen.

Gradoen offers real quality with good ingredients and also supports other local entrepreneurs.Gradoen's website lists outlets and the hospitality venues in Land van Cuijk where their beers are available.

Toast to beautiful moments in the Maasheggen UNESCO area with Gradoen's specialty beers, made with love, craft and a commitment to purity.