Sweden
May 10, 2022
During the spring, Lantmännen and Spendrups have initiated a new collaboration where malt barley, the main ingredient in beer, for the first time is grown according to Climate & Nature - Lantmännen's cultivation program for Farming of the Future. This means that cultivation methods that reduce climate impact and benefit biodiversity will be used. The crop is already in the soil and the malt barley is to be harvested in the fall, and then used in beer brewed in early 2023.
Spendrups has been using malt barley from Lantmännen for many years. The collaboration around Lantmännen's cultivation program Climate & Nature is a common approach for more sustainable cultivation and a natural next step on Lantmännen's and Spendrup's joint sustainability journey.
"Authenticity is an important core value both at Spendrups and for us as an owner family. Therefore, we do not take any shortcuts, we brew beer on malt, hops, yeast and water. Through our long collaboration with Lantmännen, we have been able to use 90 percent Swedish malting barley and developed the cultivation of organic malting barley in Sweden. It has been important to us and we are now taking the next step together that will help us reduce climate impact whilst also benefiting biodiversity. This is also important for us in order to help our customers achieve their high ambitions regarding sustainability," says Fredrik Spendrup, President and CEO of Spendrups Bryggeri.
The cultivation methods within Climate & Nature reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 percent* through climate-smart plant nutrition, fossil-free fuels, and precision farming. In addition, biodiversity is strengthened by flowering zones and chemical-free seed treatment.
"It is gratifying to welcome Spendrups into this partnership. We are proud of our cultivation program, which is crucial for us in order to continue to be a leader in the development of the Farming of the Future. Because it is through Climate & Nature that we create the conditions for meeting consumer demand for sustainable products while also creating incentives for farmers to grow more sustainably," says Magnus Kagevik, CEO and Group President of Lantmännen.
At Högesta Gård in Ystad, 190 hectares of malt barley will be grown for Spendrups and used in beer that will be brewed in early 2023. Out of 3,000 tons of malting barley, 18 million liters of beer will be brewed.
"It is great that the program is growing because together we need to take a holistic approach to benefit the climate and biodiversity. This collaboration, also enables us to grow all four grains within the Climate & Nature framework. It is good for us farmers, for the soil we cultivate and for the climate, says Christian Negendanck, CEO Högesta Gård.
Lantmännen is in the forefront of research and development and leads the development of the Farming of the Future. The Climate & Nature cultivation program is an important initiative to concretize sustainability strategies, achieve highly set climate goals and benefit biodiversity.
FACT BOX CLIMATE & NATURE
- Climate & Nature is Lantmännen's cultivation program for the Farming of the Future. It includes specific measures, such as flowering edge zones and chemical-free seed treatment, to reduce the climate impact of cultivation and increase biodiversity.
- Farmers participating in the program cultivate according to the program on their own farms.
- *With the program, Lantmännen has reduced the climate footprint of the cultivation of wheat by almost 30 percent since 2015 and will achieve similar reductions of the malt barley climate footprint.
- The program is dynamic, and the criteria included in the program are updated continuously to reduce the climate impact further.
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