Asahi, the owner of beer giant Carlton & United Breweries, made headlines recently when it re-wrote its supply chain arrangements so it could source 90 per cent of its malting barley direct from growers in New South Wales and Victoria.

This means Asahi will now source 40,000 tonnes of barley direct from seven growers in southern New South Wales with northern New South Wales growers expected to sign on before this year’s harvest.

A further 40,000 tonnes is also being sourced through 30 Victorian growers.

Asahi Beverages Group Chief Brewer, Jaideep Chandrasekharan, said this gives the brewer clear oversight into the production process of the barley used.

It also means Asahi can track provenance – an increasingly in-demand attribute that consumers are more often wanting to know about.

“Barley malt is the heart and soul of beer and has a defining influence on the taste, colour, aroma and foam. Australian malting barley is of the highest quality and sourcing it direct from farmers is an important change for our national operations and also the dozens of farmers we’ll purchase from,” Mr Chandrasekharan said.

“Under the old 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.”

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