Xp Bonaire Island Life Feature Story
Tip Top Leáñez is a well-known third-generation family business with their headquarters on Curacao. You might not be familiar with their physical location on Bonaire, but you have most likely seen or bought their products. Bonaire’s General Manager, Max van de Veer, ensures the supply of your favorite liquor to the most common supermarkets and convenient stores on the island.
Those readers who have lived on an island for some time will feel the outmost respect for those who have been successful in building their businesses on an island. Only the most resilient, most flexible, problem solvers and visionaries become the foundation of an island’s economy today.
A Family Tradition
Tip Top Leáñez made its name with products like Tip Top, a line of flavored and colored syrups that can be diluted in water and are an all-time kid’s favorite; Ponche Caribe, a cream liquor and Blue Curacao, an orange liqueur with the world renowned color of the Caribbean Sea.
Industrias Tip Top Leáñez & Cia S.A. was founded in 1935 by Don Angel J. Leáñez, a chicken feed importer. Over time, and in an ever-changing economy, Industrias Tip Top Leáñez ventured into production of liqueur, syrup and their flagship product, Ponche Caribe. Don Angel J. Leáñez proposed the idea of producing a Ponche, but it was his son, Dick S. Leáñez, who started to produce the first batch of Ponche Caribe in 1977. That same recipe still holds strong today. Ponche Caribe is now exported throughout the Caribbean, the United States, Central America and Europe.
Tip Top Leáñez currently imports and represents brands such as Moёt & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Hennessy, Belvedere Vodka, Presidente Beer, Modelo Beer, Budweiser and an assortment of Belgian Beers like Leffe, Stella Artos and Hoegaarden, wines from E&J. Gallo Family, Viña Santa Rita and other wines from various wineries around the world.
Max – General Manager
Max van de Veer became the General Manger of Tip Top Leáñez Bonaire in 2020.
Max was born in Columbia, but his family moved to Curacao when he was only 2 years old. Max lived on the island for the next 9 years and moved to the Netherlands at age 11. For Max who had been growing up in the Caribbean, it was hard to adjust to a small-scale Dutch community and he was not always treated the best. Later Max studied Business Economics in Maastricht.
When a friend told him about a job opportunity at a new company on Curacao, Max took a chance and moved back to his childhood home. Always a salesman at heart, he took on the job with great success, even though the company sold fresh produce, vegetables and fresh fish, a market field new to Max.
Max became acquainted with the Leáñez company on Curacao, and changed his career and started working for the Leáñez company on Curacao.
After 11 and a half years of working for the company, Max became an entrepreneur in 2018, with various projects in the Wholesale distribution and hospitality industry. Unfortunately that was short lived when all his projects fell short due to the corona pandemic.
In 2020, Tip Top Leáñez contacted him again and asked him to manage and set up the new building located on Bonaire. With their first agreement of 3 months extended to half a year and finally a General Manager agreement, Max has felt at home on Bonaire for the last 2 ½ years and plans to stay.
Updates
There are various plans for the near future. While the priorities were to set up a warehouse and create the logistics concerning location and stabilize the liquor stock and supply, now is the time to expand services and supply, especially for the hospitality industry on the island.
Wanted!
Currently 2 job positions are available. Please send your CV to Max by email: max@leanez.com
Part-time / Full-time ( 24-36 hours per week )
- Warehouse and delivery
- Office, shop, marketing & merchandise
Shop
Tip Top Leáñez is planning to give their shop a facelift to give a better overview of all their available products and answer your questions personally.
House brands
Tip Top Leáñez produces its own Liqueurs, whisky, brandy, rum and vodka and other lines at an affordable price and these are perfect for any mixed drink or cocktail.
Max will focus on his priority, his customers and their demands, always trying to make it a win- win situation for all parties involved. Since Bonaire is growing continuously, the demand is changing and is very different from Curacao. Besides the supermarkets, the house brands are great products for the hospitality industry and, of course, ensuring a stable supply, which is most important on an island, has his attention.
INFO
Tip Top Leáñez Bonaire
Kaya Atom # 25
General Manager : Max van de Veer
Phone +599 701 51 52
Email: max@leanez.com
Facebook Tip Top Leanez Bonaire