18 Nov What are our alumni up to: Marcel Adriaens

In the Entrepreneurship module we learned that entrepreneurship is not necessarily written in your DNA. It just needs some creativity, motivation and a decent plan. I, Marcel Adriaens, have to agree it took me a while, but finally after two years finishing this module, I teamed up with two neighbors and introduced JKR Gin.

JKR Gin (pronounced as Jeker Gin) is named after the small river that runs through Maastricht. You have probably seen it in the city park between the SBE Faculty and the new MBA Office. It was the meandering of the Jeker that contributed to the composition of the soil, which today provides some rare flowers and plants that are the basis for our gin.

JKR Gin; the gin of Maastricht

The idea was born during the first Corona wave, when we suddenly had to work from home and couldn’t leave the house. I remember we had exceptional sunny afternoons which made me spend quite some time in the garden. During many of these occasions, I met my neighbors on the other side of the fence. Soon we were fed up with the Corona subject and found a new favorite topic for our conversations. We wondered why Maastricht offers its own local beers, wines and several spirits but not its own gin.

Now, six months later we have a basement full of bottles of gin. The timing could have been better, all bars and restaurants are closed due to the Corona pandemic. This forces us to focus on selling through liquor stores and B2B. The virus spoiled all end-of-the-year drinks that companies organise to thank their employees and main customers for their efforts and loyalty. These companies now spend their budget on gift boxes that could perfectly contain a bottle of a local brewed Maastricht gin.

Our ambition is to become known as THE gin of Maastricht, a drink that people ask for when the sun comes out. We would like go to our favorite places in town and be able to order a JKR and tonic. If that goal is achieved we will probably end up with the question; why does a city like Maastricht have its own local beers, wines and gin but not its own tequila?

For more information please visit the website of JKR Gin: jkrgin.nl.