Imde lies nestled on the outskirts of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Previously Ympden (1770), originally Immechia (1145), Imde emerged as a farming community. A census dating back to 1796 recorded a total of 277 people in the village, including 87 children, a miller, brewer, three distillors and twenty three farmers.
Imdehof (1768), was originally home to the village Bailiff. The building was destroyed during the battle of Imde on August 24, 1914 and by fire in 1923. It was rebuilt in the Flemish Renaissance style when it was acquired by the Baron and Baroness, under whose ownership it underwent a host of interior improvements and extensive plantings in the grounds; of note one of the most extensive collections of pear and apple varieties filled the walled garden.
Ganzenhof flanks Imdehof to the West. It is here that the ‘goose keeper’ once lived, and from where he would herd his flock of Flemish Geese through the fields and orchards of Imdehof, maintaining the lawns and the orchard floor neatly mown with his geese. Legend has it, that it was he who would collect the fallen apples from the orchard floor, and with these he would make cider.
Imde has always fostered a flourishing sense of community. World War I was a trying time for the village. On August 24, 1914 the battle of Imde was fought on home soils. Buildings were devastated, men and women lost their lives. The resident’s unfaltering sense of determination, strength and collaboration saw them through this difficult time. The village still comes together annually in ceremony to commemorate the battle fought at home. But more evident is the remembrance that resides in their everyday sentiment; the lasting sense of family, friendship, community and comradery that prospers in Imde today.
It was this friendship and solidarity that inspired Imdehof’s and Ganzenhof’s current proprietors, after learning of their shared history, to reignite lost traditions. The Goose of Flanders was now critically endangered, and cider had long lost its tap. Word spread, and in its customary fashion the village stepped up. Apples began to arrive from local orchards, a press emerged from a neighbour’s cellar. Before long the people of Imde were celebrating Ganzenhof’s first vintage. The tradition continued; an annual production of cider became an established ritual, and geese once again grazed the fields.
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Passionate about cider the following years were spent perfecting their blends. A desire for excellence and an uncompromising attention to detail began a journey to create a contemporary cider which was to become recognised for its crisp elegance, lightness and distinct character.
