Brazil as world’s third biggest beer market hosted in Ponta Grossa, Paraná the 15th Ibero-American Symposium. The region was chosen due to the presence of three global players willing to show their state-of-the-art production sites. With 200 participants the famously vibrant Brazilian hospitality came to life presentations were selected for the relevance to the Brazilian beer market. Foremost the active support and engagement of suppliers made the event outstanding. 

Since 2008, the Ibero-American Symposium of VLB Berlin has established itself in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions as a top-class specialist event for technical managers from the brewing and beverage industry. After stops in Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, among others, the VLB came back to Brazil for the 4th time.

The first day included a visit to the brand new Agraria Maltaria Campos Gerais with an installed capacity of 240.000t barley malt per year. There, participants had the opportunity to share a pleasant evening after visiting this immaculate installation. 

The lecture program dealt in six sessions with current aspects and innovations in the fields of brewing, raw materials, brewhouse technology, fermentation, yeast management and beer filtration. As usual, the symposium was held in English and Portuguese with simultaneous translation.

The welcome evening took place at Villagio Verde with the generous invitation of our Platinum Sponsor Ziemann Holvrieka.

The closing of the event took place in the Breweries of Heineken and Ambev, Enjoying freshest possible beers straight from the BBTs.

On Thursday a Sensory workshop was held with the attendance of about 20 Participants. The VLB-Berlin tasting department explained to business heads and heads from quality how to facilitate results generating in-house tasting.

At the end of the successful event a satisfied Martin Dubrowsky, VLB-head of international sales and events management, announced when and where the next Symposium will be held: from November 23rd to 25th in Panama City, Panama.

Special thanks go to our main sponsors Ziemann Holvrieka, Hopsteiner, KHS, Krones, Prozyn, Pall and Anton Paar as well as our partners Agraria, Ambev and Heineken.