Caffee Cognac has to change its name 20 years after a letter from France: “Cognac is a protected brand name” | Aren’t you

The café owners recently received a letter from the national office Interprofessionel du Cognac urging them to change the name of their café, Caffee Cognac. The French had already appointed solicitors, and the residents of Aalst had until August 31 to change the name of their case. The new name of the café is not yet known.

The message came as a complete surprise to the owners of Caffee Cognac. The café on the Grote Markt has been a staple for 20 years and the name belongs to its downtown décor. The French allow Caffee Cognac to serve cognac, but the name of the café has to go. “Honestly, we thought it was a joke at first, but it turned out to be real. We will not oppose him and therefore we will change our name. We have until the end of August to get the job done,” say the owners.

The previous owners gave the name to the café at that time because they were big fans of cognac and the cognac region. From this love for this French region, Caffee Cognac was born, in which seven types of cognac are still served today. Together with the name, these types of cognac also disappear from the list. “We’ll probably keep another one to serve with coffee,” the owners say.

Everything bearing the logo now needs revamping, says Christoph Henkins, director of Caffee Cognac. “From plateaus to glass, coasters and illuminated advertisements. We will revamp everything,” says Kristof. So there is a new name already, but the owners will be keeping everyone on the lookout for a while. Caffee Konjak – the Aalsters way, some on Facebook suggest – won’t be “We have something else on our minds, but that’s going to be kept a secret for now,” says Kristof.