A LEADING brewer has made changes to its supply chain to source barley direct from farmers through Victoria and NSW.
Asahi, which last year purchased Carlton and United Breweries, the maker of some of Australia's most iconic beers such as Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught, is buying barley direct from growers.
The first CUB beers featuring the direct from farm barley will roll off the line at the company's Abbotsford, Melbourne brewery next month.
Further north, there is also a deal for southern NSW growers to supply Asahi's Yatala Brewery between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which will also see beers from the farmer stored barley landing on shelves in April.
The Abbotsford deal involves 30,000 tonnes accumulated from more than 30 Victorian growers through the Wimmera and Mallee.
Seven Riverina growers will supply the 40,000 tonnes required by the Yatala brewery, with northern NSW growers expected to join the scheme before the next harvest later this year.
The new supply chain means more than 90 per cent of Asahi Beverages' barley is purchased direct from farmers rather than via the bulk handling system.
Asahi said the idea behind the move to sourcing ex-farm grain was to meet quality and sustainability requirements, with more information surrounding the barley purchased.
The company plans to extend the on-farm project to its smaller breweries included the renowned Cascade Brewery, one of Australia's oldest, in Hobart.
Asahi Beverages' chief brewer Jaideep Chandrasekharan said the switch to barley sourced from individual farmers would ensure more control over quality.
"Under the old (purchasing) model the grains we purchased generally weren't segregated but this program allows us to track the provenance of barley used to brew our major beers and gives us direct relationships with more farmers," Mr Chandrasekharan said.
He said Asahi would liaise with growers to ensure the barley was grown in accordance with the company's quality program, along with benchmarking agronomics against grain quality.
Victorian farmer John Bennett, who farms in the Wimmera, is one of the growers participating in the program.
He said forging closer links between end users and farmers would result in a product more tailored to end users' needs.
"This relationship gives us a better understanding of their stringent quality parameters and ensures we provide the highest-quality barley for their brewing process," Mr Bennett said.
Mr Chandrasekharan said Asahi would look at quality specifications along with gathering data on things like water use efficiency.
"We'll monitor quality parameters such as protein levels and grain size, and we'll link on-farm practices to beer quality," he said.
"We will also track water use and other agricultural inputs to ensure our barley helps us achieve our sustainability targets."
Mr Chandrasekharan said the advances in supply chain management in recent years meant the company could now purchase grain directly from the farm.
"Until recently, the expertise to operate an intricate program like this at scale didn't exist in Australia but we're now working with supply chain managers Origin Trail to bring it to life."
Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann said he was pleased to see more niche domestic opportunities emerge for malt barley producers.
"Barley farmers have faced many challenges in recent years so it's fantastic to see a program like this launch," Mr Weidemann said.
He said longer-term it could also help open up international opportunities.
"With Asahi Beverages' knowledge and experience, the program will help ensure crops are grown sustainability and that farmers can grow new varieties that can open up more international markets for them, which is particularly timely," he said.