CAFÉ HOLLANDER MEQUON OPENING RAISES OVER $35,000 FOR CHARITIES
Milwaukee, WI – June 2, 2016 – The all-new Café Hollander in Mequon raised over $35,000 for local charities through its grand opening benefit weekend, which took place May 20-22. The Lowlands Group, which operates Café Hollander, donated 100 percent of all food sales over the course of the event, and sales of select beers, to three local charities, including: Milwaukee Riverkeeper, The Ozaukee Interurban Trail, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
“The weekend was a tremendous success,” said Dan Herwig, director of brand and marketing at Lowlands Group. “We had perfect weather and an amazing turnout, which benefitted our fundraising ability tremendously.”
In addition to raising $35,704 for charity through food and beer sales, the Lowlands Group also raffled off a custom Hollander-Benelux Racing bike-donated by Fixation Bicycle Company-with all proceeds benefitting the Wisconsin Bike Fed. The group hosted a similar fundraiser when opening their new location in Madison in October of 2015, which raised over $30,000 over the course of 4 days. In the past year, they have raised over $65,000 for charity as part of their grand openings.
The charities selected for the event all have programs that focus on environmental stewardship, bicycling and children’s needs; causes that the Lowlands Group has long supported.
“We were thrilled to partner with Lowlands Group on their new opening,” said Jennifer Bolger Breceda, executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper.
“Their support will help us grow not only our Annual Spring River Cleanup, where thousands of volunteers across the entire Milwaukee River Basin join together to beautify our watersheds, but also our critical water quality monitoring work.”
Representatives from the charities were onsite throughout the weekend to answer any questions about their programs and on Saturday morning over 150 cyclists showed up to make the 48-mile trip to Belgium, WI and back. The ride followed the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which was one of the beneficiaries of the weekend.
Andrew Struck, chair of The Ozaukee Interurban Trail Advisory Council said, “We will use the donation to invest in the development of a new rest area for the Ozaukee Interurban Trail in Mequon as well as pay for the installation of five donated bike repair stations along the trail.”
Also attending the festivities was Jef Versele, the seventh-generation owner of Brouwerij Van Steenberge, a brewery located in Ertvelde, Belgium. The brewery donated beer for the event so that all sales of its beer-in addition to two beers it brews for the Lowlands Brewing Collaborative-would be donated to charity as well. Café Hollander in Mequon is now open every day at 8am and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, including a full brunch on weekends. The café offers hundreds of different beers from around the world, with 38 on draught, including their own Lowlands Brewing Collaborative brand.
About the Lowlands Group Lowlands Group owns and operates seven Grand Cafés in Wisconsin including: Benelux Grand Café and Market, Café Bavaria, and Café Central, as well as four Café Hollanders located on Downer Avenue, the Village in Wauwatosa, Hillsdale in Madison and Mequon. Its European-inspired Cafés feature from-scratch cooking and an impressive selection of Belgian beers. The company prides itself in its passion for cycling, bringing neighborhoods together and giving back to the community. More information can be found at www.lowlandsgroup.com.
The group also operates the Lowlands Brewing Collaborative; a celebration of beer culture that brings the world’s best brewers together to create unique beers available exclusively at the Lowlands Grand Cafés. Learn more at www.lowlandsbrewing.com.
About Milwaukee Riverkeeper Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect, improve and advocate for water quality, riparian wildlife habitat, and sound land management in Milwaukee area Watersheds. We envision a future in which people from all walks of life can enjoy the healthy waterways of the Milwaukee River Basin. For more information visit www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org.
About Ozaukee Interurban The Ozaukee Interurban trail is a 30-mile paved trail that expands the entire length of Ozaukee County, connecting the communities of Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Grafton, Port Washington and Belgium. The completion of the Oak Leaf Trail extension connects historic downtowns with beautiful natural landscapes. Learn more at www.interurbantrail.us/.
About the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, is one of the largest and longest youth-serving agencies in Milwaukee, offering high-quality programming and positively influencing the lives of Milwaukee’s most disadvantaged youth. Operating 38 clubs, as well as Camp Whitcomb/Mason, in Hartland, WI, the clubs provide a safe place and positive role models for the more than 4,600 young people every day. Learn more at www.boysgirlsclubs.org.
