Is Monaco brewing a new collectible?

It wasn't long ago, that beer was perceived as the working man’s beverage. Several years on, the beer market has evolved with a community of beer lovers, that are keen to taste and spend as much (or nearly) as those of the fine wine or spirits community. Poured by the bottle at the correct serving temperature following specific decanting methods, beer has all the ingredients to rank up there alongside wine.

In recent years, beer has proved particularly popular in the culinary world with chefs offering up beer cooked dishes paired with the ale. It is further noticeable across luxury hotels, bars and restaurants now refining their offering with more distinct beers. You may even have noticed the beer aisles of your local supermarket increasing in size as a result.

The ascendance of craft beer in particular can be attributed to people being more cautious about what they buy and consume. Craft beers are generally 100% natural, with little to no additives and this is line with the new way of consuming.

In order to get a better understanding of this growing segment and one brand in specific, we caught up with William Scheffer, co-founder of Monte-Carlo Beer, the brand which is taking the beer world from cheerful pint to collectible asset one country at a time.

William, how would you describe yourself to those who will get to know you through this interview?

I was born and raised in Monaco and have since childhood been passionate about the Food & Beverage industry. Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world and amassed a myriad of experiences across South East Asia. Spanning across hospitality, F&B and distribution – I have been on all sides of the table (quite literally!). I’ve always dreamed of running my own company. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to embark on my entrepreneurial journey by opening a restaurant in Bangkok. A year in, I moved to Singapore and founded GREYYS, a leading premium F&B importer/distributor – with its revenue growing to SGD1,000,000 in just 6 years. In 2018, I ventured into my third business with my longtime friend to create Monte Carlo Boys, bringing a taste of Monaco nightlife to one of the hippest bar streets in Singapore. Inspired by this latest venture, I am now on to the next one - crafting a unique brew right here from my hometown, Monte Carlo, where I now live.

What is it about beer that fascinates you?

I love how beer brings people together. « Let’s grab a beer » has more or less become an expression understood by most as coming together for a drink. Beer knows no borders, nor language barriers; whether it’ at home, in a bar, at the beach, on top of a mountain or in a different country, even if you don’t speak same language, you can always share a beer together. It is a moment.

Do you remember the first beer you drank that forever changed the way you perceived the beer industry?

I remember the first beer shared with my business partner Anthony. In a field, in the French countryside. We instantly “clicked” around a beer. 15 years later, we’ve launched our very own beer brand.

From your experience what does it take to make a great beer?

It might sound cliché but quality ingredients are a must, as is a master brewer who is passionate about beers and his work. If I’m entitled a few more words, I’d like to add patience and a lot of love!

What challenges do brewers face?

The drastic increase of cost in raw ingredients and difficulty to keep a positive cashflow.

Are there any beer trends or developments that excite you?

I am a classic guy. I love a good lager or blond and sometimes a cold Guinness. Nowadays there’s a lot of new flavours coming out. It is not really my thing. What excites me more is the innovations & development in sustainable packaging like Carlsberg and its bottle made of paper.

With so many beers produced today, in your opinion what makes a great beer stand out?

It is a really competitive market. There are a lot of beer brands. The craft beer market started to boom 10 years ago and is, today, stronger than ever. In my opinion, in order to survive in this industry, it is important to propose a good quality product with high quality ingredients, but also to be strong in marketing and tell a great story. That’s what we have been trying to do. With MCB, we wanted to not only offer a great recipe with a unique taste, we also wanted to catch the eye of the consumer & people to remember our beer through our packaging. The goal is to try to be as innovative as possible in every aspect of the beer industry.

How do you foresee the beer industry 10 years from now?

I’m hoping MCB will be one of the most sought after and requested beer in the world ;-)

You created Monte-Carlo Beer with a friend, please can you tell us how and when the idea came about ?

Anthony and I met 15 years ago. We have both been entrepreneurs from the age of 24. I moved to South-East Asia at an early age. While I was developing my first business in Bangkok, Anthony opened a café in Monaco. The few holidays Anthony had, he’d come and visit me in Asia. We always believed we were very complementary and always dreamt about starting a business together someday. Every year that went by, we felt more and more ready to partner and then in 2018 we took the plunge. After selling his café in Monaco, Anthony joined me in Singapore. That’s when Monte Carlo Boys was born. A trendy cocktail bar in the heart of the financial district of Singapore. We were proudly serving some Monaco food specialties, such as Barbajuans and SOCCA, as well as offering a former beer brand from Monaco. Beer rapidly became our best-selling drink, even though Monte Carlo Boys was a well-recognised cocktail bar. We then decided that instead of promoting someone else’s brand, we would create our own. That’s how Monte Carlo Beer was born. Unfortunately, Monte Carlo Boys didn’t make it through COVID, so we both moved back to Monaco to focus on the development of MCB.

**Monte-Carlo Beer founders William Scheffer & Anthony Orengo**

Why Monaco?

Anthony is Monegasque and I was born in Monaco. It made sense for us to come back to our country and launch a Monaco brand.

Monaco is such a small space, is the beer actually made in the principality?

That is our ultimate goal. But for now, we outsource the production in a brewery based in Mouans-Sartoux (50 km away from Monaco).

**The Monte-Carlo Beer bottles feature a design of the Palace**

The bottle design is very cool and features the Palace, how did you go about attaining permissions? Are the Princely family drinkers?

Before the company was setup, we managed to get the brand and the design of the bottle approved by the Palace and the Government of Monaco. It was very important to us. A year after the first beer was sold, we received a purchase order from the Palace for the Prince to try. He’s been ordering regularly ever since. We even had a chance to meet him in person; that’s when he told us he loves MCB and congratulated us.

Where is MC Beer currently stocked?

Our biggest client is the Société des Bains de Mer in Monaco. SBM owns several Casinos and most of the luxury hotels in Monaco. MCB is even stocked in Hermitage & Hotel de Paris minibars! We are well established in Monaco. You can enjoy a cold MCB in almost every F&B establishment in the Principality. We have also started exporting. You can now enjoy a MCB in Greece, Japan and Hong Kong. The brand is also trademarked in the US, so watch this space!

Beer and whiskey are intrinsically linked, is whiskey-making in the pipeline?

Although I love whiskey, it is not in the pipeline. However, we are working on a soft drink brand. We would like to launch craft Lemonade, Cola, Tonic and Ginger beer. The recipes and the brand have been finalised, but we are still working on the packaging.

Finally please could you tell us why MC Beer should feature in a beer collection?

Besides being the only bottled beer brand from Monaco, the idea of MCB is to display another side of Monaco. The names “Monte-Carlo” or “Monaco” are obviously internationally known but people don’t necessarily associate our country with craft products. We wanted to show that Monaco is not only yachts & expensive cars, but also craftsmen who take great pride in great quality products and are passionate about what they do!

@montecarlobeer