How do we try to contribute in times of crisis?

Initially, nobody could have foreseen that Corona would be so deadly and dangerous. Yet this dangerous virus slowly but surely crept closer to Belgium and found its first victims there.

As the virus began to spread faster and faster, the demand from the healthcare sector for the supply of alcohol for the production of hand-gels and desinfectant alcohol became essential – and preferably not at the extortionate prices that were circulating at the time. The government made it possible to also sell such alcohol by liberalising the licensing rules through the General Administration of Customs and Excise.

On March 19, Filliers Distillery started selling part of its alcohol stock so that the healthcare sector could continue to produce hand gels and desinfectant alcohol. Five days later, nearly 10,000 liters of alcohol had already been sold to pharmacists.

However, the distillery wanted to be able to help even more, which is why it worked on the next phase to also produce its own hand gels and desinfectant alcohol at the request of the University hospitals of Leuven and Ghent. To this end, a collaboration was set up with Tereo (who made bio-ethanol available) and Janssen Pharmaceutica (who provided the necessary hydrogen peroxide and glycerine). The raw materials were mixed at the distillery into a usable disinfectant hand gel. A separate isolated zone was set up, separate from the installations used for the production of own spirits.

From April 1, production was also started to make disinfectant hand gels for companies and institutions in essential sectors. Thanks to Minister De Backer and the Customs and Excise Department, it was allowed to start producing this on a large scale to fill the dire shortage. The hand gel is WHO compliant and can therefore also be used by general practitioners, ambulances, carers, nursing homes, physiotherapists, …

Although this production can certainly not absorb the loss that was incurred economically, as with many other companies, the hope is that the efforts at Filliers Distillery can contribute to the containment of the virus, in order to be able to resume normal life again where everyone is healthy and well together.