Malting Barley: Introduction

Malting barley is our passion. We own Maris Otter, the most revered malting barley variety in the world, and Warminster Maltings Ltd, the oldest working maltings in Britain. With our direct link to more than 250 brewer customers, we benefit from a much more informed insight into the malting barley market, which in turn provides our farmer suppliers with a distinct advantage.

"Another big crop in 2009 collided 'head on' with a dramatic downturn in demand for malt, right across Europe. Ex farm values have been trashed, and that despite upto 500,000 tonnes of the Spring crop in the western half of the country being written off due to failed germination capacity. Predictably for 2010, farmers are signalling a reduction in plantings of between 40 - 50%.

Steadily improving wheat prices on the back of outbreaks of economic recovery will almost certainly turn the outlook around. We are continually addressing this and can offer farmers contracts designed to capture any upside movement. We can offer growers more variety/market opportunities then any other merchant."

Jonathan Arnold