Integrating the malt value chain
A complete approach to malting barley procurement must take into account these six key areas — which implies good knowledge and prior in-depth analysis of local contexts — and deploy pragmatic, multi-faceted solutions keyed to situations and customer needs in each region.
In the final analysis, for Malteurop there is no single procurement chain, but rather different models of origination and supply of malting barley — models which are modular and scalable to accompany markets and brewers.
At Malteurop these models encourage, wherever possible, the use of local resources and direct relations with growers, in a perspective of sustainability.
In regions that are insufficient producers of suitable barley, Malteurop organizes and secures the necessary procurement flows, adapting to local contexts and the specific needs of brewers.
Barley, throughout history the most widespread cereal grain, seems to have first been grown in Turkestan, Ethiopia, Tibet, Nepal, and China. Archeological excavations 100 km from Cairo, in Egypt, have shown that barley was grown as early as 5,000 years ago.
Several hundred varieties of malting barley exist around the world, suited to local conditions.
Brewing-type winter barleys (two-row/six-row) are grown mainly in Western Europe (GB/F), with a French preference for producing six-row winter malting barleys.
Malteurop conducts a research and development policy aimed at introducing innovations into the barley-malt-beer value chain. It concerns primarily control over raw materials – barley and malt – and improving industrial processes at malting plants.
Working together with grain growers is a natural approach for Malteurop. Firstly because growers are at the very origin of Malteurop and because they are part of the Group’s shareholding structure via their cooperatives.
