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COVER FEATURE<br />
CELEBRATION<br />
Congratulations from around the world for Werner Brombach<br />
<strong>ERDINGER</strong> owner Werner Brombach celebrated<br />
his 70th birthday with a memorable party and<br />
over 1,000 guests. Among them were many good<br />
friends from around the world, as well as brewery<br />
employees and leading personalities from the<br />
world of business and politics.<br />
There was plenty of praise from all si<strong>de</strong>s for the<br />
birthday boy. The Presi<strong>de</strong>nt of the Bavarian Brewers’<br />
Association called Werner Brombach “one<br />
of the giants of his profession”. And Bavaria’s former<br />
Minister Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Günther Beckstein called<br />
“Bräu” (Werner Brombach’s nickname) a true<br />
friend, stating: “Your wheat beer is perfect;<br />
<strong>ERDINGER</strong> <strong>Weissbräu</strong> has shaped people’s image<br />
of Bavaria around the world”. There were some<br />
light-hearted comments from soccer legend<br />
Franz Beckenbauer, who told of Brombach’s<br />
spontaneous surprise visits, but ad<strong>de</strong>d: “He’s<br />
always welcome”. He also told the audience<br />
about a trip to the end of the world in Cabo San<br />
Lucas on the Baja California in Mexico: “There<br />
was nothing there, except of course <strong>ERDINGER</strong><br />
Weissbier”.<br />
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The party was held “at home” in the brewery’s<br />
loading hall – and many a guest is likely to have<br />
rubbed their eyes in disbelief at the sight of the<br />
huge screens displaying an impressive Bavarian<br />
alpine panorama. The mountain scenery was<br />
complemented by the “Urweisse hut”, which together<br />
with the richly <strong>de</strong>corated tables created a<br />
unique backdrop for the birthday gala.<br />
Above all, however, it was the emotional moments<br />
which left an in<strong>de</strong>lible impression on the guests.<br />
In the course of the evening, it became increasingly<br />
apparent just how important the brewery’s<br />
employees are for Werner Brombach. Not only<br />
did he invite all 480 current employees and pensioners,<br />
but also stressed: “You are my honorary<br />
guests. I owe my growth and success to these<br />
people. I would like to express my sincere gratitu<strong>de</strong><br />
for this”. There was also a clear sense of just<br />
how much the boss means to his employees. For<br />
example, the speech ma<strong>de</strong> by the company’s two<br />
Works Council chairmen was a particularly special<br />
moment. They presented Werner Brombach<br />
with a glass globe on which every country was<br />
marked in which <strong>ERDINGER</strong> Weissbier is available,<br />
signed by all members of staff.<br />
There were also moving speeches by the<br />
brewery’s two Managing Directors. “We have<br />
always been able to rely on you,” said Josef<br />
Westermeier, and ad<strong>de</strong>d: “We cannot imagine<br />
anyone better”. Peter Liebert reported lightheartedly<br />
about Werner Brombach’s passion for<br />
his wheat beer and his absolute obsession for<br />
quality – which often means receiving phone<br />
calls from his boss at any time of day or night and<br />
from every corner of the world. They presented<br />
him with a unique present: an original piece of<br />
the Berlin Wall with the brewery’s logo ad<strong>de</strong>d by<br />
an unknown graffiti sprayer. Werner Brombach,<br />
who had always hoped for reunification, was<br />
visibly moved by this remin<strong>de</strong>r of Germany’s<br />
recent history. He’d actually asked not to receive<br />
any presents, but for people to make a donation<br />
to Erding’s care facilities for the el<strong>de</strong>rly. However,<br />
an exception had to be ma<strong>de</strong> for such a highly<br />
symbolic souvenir of a past era. And a further<br />
exception had to be ma<strong>de</strong> for the town’s former<br />
priest, who presented him with a certificate from<br />
Pope Benedict XVI.<br />
A relaxed Werner Brombach with his wife Christine<br />
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