United Kingdom
March 2014
Wessex Grain, Pearce Seeds and KWS UK have joined forces to offer a closed-loop supply chain opportunity for growers in the south of England to supply a tonnage of new spring malting barley KWS Irina to be shipped out of Poole to a continental maltster this summer.
KWS Irina became the highest yielding spring malting barley with brewing potential on the new 2014-15 HGCA Recommended List and is due to undergo comprehensive macro-malting tests in the UK this autumn.
However, despite the fact that it has yet to undergo IDB classification in the UK, KWS Irina is already well accepted by continental brewers who have seen supplies from elsewhere in Europe and are actively seeking a significant tonnage of the variety.
This contract will give growers in the south of England the chance to gain from a typical malting premium from a variety that is significantly higher yielding than current spring barley favourites.
According to Wessex Grain’s trading director, Nick Matthews the opportunity stemmed from discussions with a couple of the company’s major export customers.
“On the back of this continental interest – and with the support of Pearce Seeds – there’s a clear chance to get some early tonnage of the variety exported out of Poole this summer.
So in the same way we established Tipple when it first came to the market some years ago, we can see a real opportunity for KWS Irina,” he says.
According to Pearce Seeds’ Paul Taylor, KWS Irina’s results in UK micro-malting trials look promising with a good hot water extract and high enzyme activity combined with good specific weights and low screenings in the malt house.
However, it is the variety’s potential to deliver a high gross margin on-farm, which makes KWS Irina of real interest to growers. “Yielding 10% above Tipple and 4% ahead of Propino in HGCA Western Region trials, KWS Irina has the potential could take malting barley yields in our area to a new level,” he suggests.
“As a brewing only variety, KWS Irina is ideally suited for export from southern farms and working with Wessex Grain we will either offer immediate post harvest movement into store, or growers can move the crop direct to port at a date to be confirmed later in the year.
“This contract will give growers a chance to test KWS Irina on their own farms and, if specifications are met, gain a premium – at parity to that of the Propino/Tipple price at harvest - in advance of what is expected to be a major launch of the variety in 2015,” says Mr Taylor.
Growers interested in the contact for planting this spring should contact Paul Taylor on 01935 389226 or Wessex Grain on 01963 363162.
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