Varietal Purity – A cornerstone of Canada’s Malting Barley value proposition
March 27, 2023
Canada is recognized as a premium producer and supplier of barley and malt to the global malting and brewing industries.
Varietal purity is a cornerstone of premium malting barley.
Producers have an important role in ensuring varietal purity in Canadian malting barley.
CANADA’S QUALITY BRAND
Canada’s reputation for quality malting and malted barley is our brand. It is based on our worldclass malting barley varieties, safe and efficient production methods, and robust quality assurance systems.
The malting barley varieties developed and registered for production in Canada have excellent quality as well as superb malting and brewing performance characteristics. They are recognized around the world as value-added products.
One of the cornerstones of Canada’s premium value proposition is our ability to produce, source and deliver malting barley with high-levels of varietal purity (e.g. >95%) to both domestic and international malt processors.
IMPORTANCE OF VARIETAL PURITY TO MALTSTERS
Varietal purity is important to producing high-quality malt. Each malting barley variety has different barley quality and malting performance characteristics e.g. different size kernels, varied rates of water absorption and processing times during malting. As a result, maltsters require malting barley with a high percentage of varietal purity to make a consistent, high-quality finished product. Malting and grain companies buying malting barley require a minimum 95% varietal purity specification on malting barley deliveries. Most malting barley buyers in international markets include a minimum 95% varietal purity specification in their contracts.
The ability of Canada’s malting barley supply chain to assure a high level of varietal purity to end-users is critical to Canada’s premium value proposition.
See the following joint information piece issued by the CMBTC, the Alberta Barley Commission, the Manitoba Crop Alliance and the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission on Varietal Purity in Canadian malting barley, entitled Varietal Purity – A Cornerstone of Canada’s malting barley value proposition.
