From farmer to bar: malting barley as a forward-looking choice of crop with Cristal and Arvesta

Over the past few months, we received a lot of precipitation in our country. Especially in agriculture, the heavy rainfall sent farmers' sowing and planting season into considerable disarray. "The weather during spring has become enormously unpredictable and volatile in recent years. We are increasingly seeing extreme weather conditions such as the large amounts of rainfall in recent months. Climate change is hard to deny in this respect," says Pierre Warnier (37) from Villers-le-Bouillet near Liège.

Together with his two brothers Thierry and Frédéric and his wife Olivia, Pierre is part of the 5^e generation of farmers who run the family farm with heart and soul every day. For the second year in a row, Pierre is growing malting barley in partnership with Cristal and Arvesta. His 10 acres will account for about 85 tons of malting barley that - once approved - will be malted and processed at Cristal. "The barley we will soon harvest in late June, early July was sown last October. Unlike my potatoes or beets, the rain has had little impact on the barley's growth in recent months." Although for Pierre, temperatures may quietly rise so that the barley can still ripen properly. "With all our crops, we strive for the highest quality. That's where we want to distinguish ourselves as farmers. We find this shared passion with Arvesta and the Cristal brewers. Contributing to a quality and Belgian product is an important added value for us."

"Brewing barley is a forward-looking choice"

We hear the same noises from Jan Coenegrachts (40) from Riemst who is growing malting barley for the third year in a row. "This year I'm at about 15 hectares, every year I grow a little more depending on the plots that become available. Brewing barley is relatively easy to grow and is a rest crop: the soil does not need intensive tillage and can recover. This allows me to fit it well into the growing cycle of my beets, onions, carrots, peas, chicory, corn and potatoes." Not insignificant since the challenges are significant around fertilization in addition to climate change. Brewing barley needs lower protein and therefore less fertilization is involved. In fact, too much protein and Cristal would become a cloudy lager. "Brewing barley is also beneficial financially," says Jan Coenegrachts. "Compared to other cereals, I get a premium from Arvesta and Cristal. Moreover, my risk is more limited: if the harvest is disappointing, I sell the barley as cattle feed. When I add up the practical and financial benefits, malting barley is a forward-looking choice for me on several levels. And of course, I am incredibly proud to be able to contribute to Cristal!"

Specialist work

"Until a few years ago, malting barley in Belgium - beer country par excellence - virtually disappeared. This trend has since been reversed, driven by increasing demand for local from the market and smart partnerships such as those between Cristal and Arvesta," says Esther Monard, Business Development Director Agri & Horti at Arvesta.

In 2022, at the start of this initiative, 49 Belgian farmers signed on - accounting for 2,000 tons of malting barley on an area of just under 300 hectares. In 2024, this rose to 95 Flemish and Walloon farmers growing 3,500 tons of malting barley on an area of 600 hectares. We also see this trend reflected in Statbel's figures with malting barley tonnages almost doubling between 2018 and 2022, from 3,711 to 6,522. Brewing barley, as a cereal, is excellent to fit into a traditional arable farmer's cropping plan. It is not a difficult crop to grow, but it does require some time, energy and skill from the grower. This is exactly where Arvesta plays a role in supporting and advising farmers. "Brewing barley must be of sufficiently good quality to be processed in the malting plant and then in the brewery. This means, for example, that there must be sufficient protein content in the barley and that both harvesting and storage conditions must be good. "

Cristal, quality from grain to tap

They are also convinced at Cristal of the added value of Belgian malting barley. Ellen Mertens, master brewer: "Cristal is a pioneer in lager. For us, pioneering means focusing on quality, from grain to tap. Thanks to the short chain with Belgian farmers and the collaboration with Arvesta, we can monitor and guarantee quality at any time. We are confident about the product delivered by our Belgian farmers." Today, Cristal works with about 74 farmers in both Flanders and Wallonia who cultivate some 460 hectares of fields, good for some 3,000 tons. That barley is processed into malt at Mouterij Albert in Puurs-Sint-Amands before heading to the brewery in Alken. This makes Cristal by far the largest buyer of Belgian malting barley.