130 years of mastering taste
Creating a drink goes beyond a recipe. It means understanding raw ingredients, anticipating how they will react and knowing how far to intervene without upsetting their balance.
For more than 130 years, the Stassen family has developed this expertise through close contact with products, markets and constantly evolving drinking habits. Over time, three core areas of expertise have come together to define the unique capabilities of Maison 1895 today.
mastering balance
The Stassen family’s work is built on a fine mastery of balance: acidity, bitterness, structure and length on the palate. These balances cannot be improvised. They are refined over time, through testing and adjustment. This foundation makes everything else possible.
Expertise built over generations
Cider, wine, beer: across generations, our mastery of fermentation, blending and aromatic profiles has continued to deepen. Experience that informs every product we develop today.
Crafted for every occasion
Each product is created with a specific purpose in mind — an occasion, a channel, a moment. Vintense for retail and hospitality. Héritage 1895 for the gastronomic table. Bière des Amis for moments of conviviality.
Exacting sourcing standards
Ingredients are selected for their ability to deliver the right balance — with or without alcohol in the final glass.
a demanding technical challenge
Removing alcohol from wine or beer without disrupting its balance remains one of the industry’s most complex challenges. Alcohol gives a drink structure: it carries aromas, adds body and softens certain imbalances. Once removed, everything else has to stand on its own.
As early as the 1990s, under Philippe Stassen’s leadership, Maison 1895 was among the first companies in Europe to industrialise this process — long before the market took notice.
A low-temperature vacuum process
This technology removes alcohol while preserving the aromatic structure. Operating at low temperatures preserves delicate aromas, whereas heat would alter them.
Quality starts upstream
Dealcoholisation corrects nothing. It reveals the quality — or limitations — of the base beverage. That is why it is essential to start with a wine or beer that is already well made and well balanced.
Active R&D
Maison 1895 collaborates with UCLouvain’s brewing and food industries laboratory to advance its methods and ensure consistent quality at scale.
moving early
Maison 1895 has been shaped by an ability to anticipate change. Investing in a dealcoholisation unit in the 1990s and launching Vintense in 2011 were strategic choices made well ahead of the curve.
These decisions are grounded in a deep understanding of drinking habits, expectations and emerging dynamics — built over time through close contact with markets.
A selective approach
Choosing a partner brand is never simply about an opportunity. It means recognising a vision aligned with evolving habits — in the product, the taste and its impact.
Understanding drinking habits
Observing how people drink, when they drink and why those habits change. So we can create products that naturally find their place — today and tomorrow.
A long-term vision
Maison 1895 operates without external constraints, enjoying the freedom to take early decisions and build for the long term.
Expertise made to be shared.
130 years of experience creating the right products, at the right time, for the right markets.
Contact us