Doemens, the 122 year old private brewing and savouring school in Gräfelfing near Munich/Germany, has given green light for relocating to a new campus not far away from the old one. On January 31st, 2017, the municipal council of Gräfelfing unanimously approved the property sale. Investment costs for acquisition of the more than 5,000 m² site amount to approximately €3.3 million. New buildings are estimated to cost another €20m. Doemens has outgrown in recent years the old facility. The success of new courses like the first Beer Sommelier training program in 2004 doubled the number of employees in the last ten years. Currently 125 students from all over the world are enrolled at the the school.
In 2017, public tenders for architects and specialist planners will be issued. A preliminary plan is to be drawn up by fall, upon which the Municipality of Gräfelfing will prepare its property development plan. In the second half of 2018, the development plan is to be published and a building permit for the new building will be issued. This will be the start for tenders and, ultimately, construction. In the event everything goes according to plan, a move into the new building at Lohenstraße, including state-of-the-art laboratory and pilot plant equipment, is realistically expected for the beginning of 2021.
As part of the "Doemens 2020" project, a comprehensive site search was carried out for a new, larger building near Munich. After a plot of land at the Lohenstraße changed owners at the beginning of 2016, the municipality of Gräfelfing secured the preemption right for Doemens. This step was the basis for the establishment of a new Doemens facility in Gräfelfing. In subsequent intensive negotiations, both the original buyer of the property, Stauch Wohnbau GmbH and the municipality of Gräfelfing were willing to compromise, which resulted in the draft of a satisfactory joint notarial agreement.
"Gräfelfing as a location was a priority during our property search because our students, our employees and our customers feel welcome here," according to Doemens president Georg Schneider. Mayor Ute Wüst agrees: "It is an honor to continue hosting an established, international institution such as Doemens in our community. As Gräfelfinger, we are very happy to do whatever we can to make Doemens, which has been in operation for over 100 years now, continue to feel at home here.”
