The van den Bergh Family.
SEVEN GENERATIONS
of
BREWING & BAKING
Since 1794.
Netherlands to Australia
From left: Rudi, Leo & Rob
1794
Ophemert, Netherlands
Cornelis Gruijthuijsen opened
"Bierbrouwerij De Zwaan"
Translating to The Swan Brewery
The same year his daughter, Gerarda was born.
Next door was the family home and bakery beneath.
The Brewery De Zwaan (left white building), workers/family members carrying ice to the brewery. The family home is the darker building on the right with the bakery located underneath.
1800 - 1844
Gerarda was the beer brewer and shopkeeper, she married Paulus van den Bergh in 1816 and ran the brewery. Paulus was a bread baker, beer brewer, farmer, potato grower and construction man.
1845 - 1867
Gerarda and Paulus' had 11 children, of which two sons were brewers; Antonie and Johannes I.
Johannes I inherited the Brewery De Zwaan.
1867 - 1924
Johannas II, born in 1867 - 1944 (nephew of Johannas I), was known as the head of the family.
He was the brewer and continued the family tradition until, tragically in 1924, the brewery burnt down. The ashes and rubble were dumped on the riverside of the dyke.
RUDI VAN DEN BERGH
1919
Rudolf "Rudi" van den Bergh was born, grandson of Johannes II.
The family continued baking and Rudi learnt the trade.
1949
At age 29, Rudi immigrated to Australia with nothing but a few belongings, a couple pounds and his baking skills. Initially, he landed in Darwin and made his way to Brisbane. Sometime later he met his wife, Patricia, and started a family.
RUDI'S SONS - ROB & LEO
1981
Two of Rudi's sons Rob and Leo learnt the baking trade.
In 1981 Rob purchased the New Farm Bakery from Rudi.
Then in 1985 Rudi, Rob and Leo went on to start Australia's leading frozen bakery goods manufacturer 'van den Bergh's Continental Bakery'. Located in Mansfield, Brisbane, the factory supplied bakeries around Australia with unbaked croissants, danish and other pastries. The company was eventually sold to Unilever in 1994.
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2000
76 years after the Brewery De Zwaan burnt down, Rob and Leo started home-brewing in Brisbane, making a variety of different beers and winning numerous home-brewing awards. They always had the idea to start the family brewery again.
FINDING HISTORY
2023
Bergh & Bergh's Brewery was opened in the Mansfield factory.
Rob and Leo developed Rudi's Dutch Pale Ale as homage to their ancestors and brewers before them.
In October 2023, Rob visited Ophemert and received news that a 100 year old beer bottle from the original Brewery De Zwaan was recovered by archaelologists during excavations of the Waalbandijk (dyke) that has protected Ophemert from flooding for centuries.
The bottle was brought back to Australia and sits proudly
in the brewery.
2024
100 years since the Brewery De Zwaan burned down in Ophemert, Rob and Leo proudly release their first beer, Rudi's Dutch Pale Ale.
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2008
After many years in food industry Rob started baking again opening "Sugo tu", a wholesale pizza dough manufacturer. The original factory was located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane.
PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA
2015
Sugo tu was growing rapidly and needed more space, the old van den Berghs factory at Mansfield was available again. So in 2015, Rob made the nostalgic move back to Mansfield.
1962
Rudi moved his family to Esk, Queensland where he opened his first bakery.
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AUSTRALIA
1978
Rudi moved his family to Brisbane and opened four bakeries with his brother John.
The van den Bergh name became known for their quality biscuits around Australia.
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