A large expansion of Malteurop’s Geelong malthouse is set to make it one of the largest malt production facilities of its type in the world.
Planned to capitalise on growth in beer consumption in Asia and to meet increasing demand, the expansion enables Malteurop to process almost half of all of Victoria’s malting barley at the site, with malt production set to lift by more than 150 per cent from 80,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes.
The French farmer-owned Malteurop is a global leader in the malting industry, operating 27 sites in 14 countries, with one in ten beers sold worldwide containing malt from Malteurop.
With 85 to 90 per cent of production destined for export markets, the expansion is of strategic importance for Malteurop as it looks to strengthen its position in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Asia already has a deficit in its production of cereal grains and malt, so Australia as a major producer is well placed to meet that demand,” says managing director of Malteurop Australian Trevor Perryman.
“With Malteurop’s Geelong facility so well placed in terms of proximity to the highest quality and most abundant malting barley sources and its bayside location on Australia’s main export gateway, we have a fantastic opportunity here,” Perryman says.
“This will give Asian brewers greater opportunity to source their malt out of the Australian market and thus reduce their reliance on Europe.”
The expansion provides more opportunity for Malteurop to deal directly with farmers, improving supply chain efficiency and reducing costs associated with storage and the freight that comes with that.
Chairman of Grain Producers Australia and grain farmer at Rupanyup, Andrew Weidemann, welcomed the expansion. “I see that as a great benefit to Victorian grain growers and for the economy of Geelong. It’s an important investment and we can only see good things coming from it.”
