On 27 June 2025, the time had come once again: 24 graduates received their certificates during a festive ceremony. Dr Josef Fontaine, in his last role as VLB Managing Director, praised the achievements of the participants and thanked everyone involved for their outstanding commitment.

VLB Managing Director Dr Josef Fontaine opened the graduation ceremony with a speech to the graduates and their families and friends, some of whom had travelled to attend. ‘You have completed this course with great dedication. The certificates you are receiving today are well deserved.’ Burghard Meyer also praised the participants' achievements. ‘This year, the class cohesion was exceptionally good, which was also reflected in the final grades,’ said the course instructor. The best in the class was Natália Basso Tolazzi from Heineken Brazil. Second place went to Ahmet Tanir (Anadolou Efes, Turkey), and third place went to Maria Jose Garcia Vela from Mahou-San Miguel in Spain.

As every year, one graduate received a gift on behalf of the class. This time, Luca Ferrari received a pewter mug from the course leader's personal collection. The reason for this honour was that Luca had been exceptionally reliable. A special highlight of the ceremony was the speech by Finnish participant Mikko Salmi, who reviewed the past six months in an eloquent and humorous manner. At the end of his speech, many people reached for their handkerchiefs. Once the tears of emotion had dried, the unofficial part of the farewell began...

A final group photo of the VLB-Certified Brewmaster Course 2025 as a farewell.