Malteries Soufflet launches the first traceable low-carbon barley chain

At the Drinktec exhibition, Malteries Soufflet – Hall A6 – Stand 329 – will present its brewery customers with a malt offering from a low-carbon barley, brand new to the French market and available from the 2023 harvest.

With the creation of this new chain, Malteries Soufflet is establishing itself as an active maltster committed to the agro-ecological transition.

A pioneering and unique low-carbon chain

Against a backdrop of significant global warming and at a time when France has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, Malteries Soufflet is proposing a new sustainable chain based on agronomic practices that help reduce the carbon footprint of malting barley cultivation. As barley production accounts for almost 20% of a beer's carbon footprint, this new offering will help reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions inherent to beer production.

To develop this new chain, Malteries Soufflet has drawn on the agronomic expertise of its long-standing partner, Soufflet Agriculture, to draw up rigorous specifications based on the implementation of good agricultural practices designed to reduce carbon emissions by means of sustainable nitrogen fertilisation and maximisation of carbon storage in soil. The good environmental practices implemented in this traceable low-carbon barley chain are subject to independent external control.

This low-carbon chain is part of the “Sowing Good Sense” approach, supported by the InVivo Group. It aims to work towards the agricultural and food transition through the development of sustainable supply chains, which are eco-friendly (soil, biodiversity and climate) and create value for both farmers and consumers. It has already been deployed with 8,500 farmers in various sectors such as wheat, barley, vines and pulses.

A transparent chain, whose traceability is accessible to the consumer

Malteries Soufflet will ensure complete traceability of this low-carbon sector from field to bottle via its blockchain solution: Transparency. It gives consumers access to the traceability data for the beers they buy, throughout the barley-malt-beer chain, by scanning a QR code with their smartphone, allowing them to better understand the brand's responsible commitments.