Soufflet Malt, the world's largest maltster, has announced the European launch of Country Malt Group, its dedicated distribution brand for craft brewers and distillers. Unveiled on November 10, 2026, the initiative will consolidate sales, warehousing, technical support, and digital ordering under a unified European structure starting in early 2027. The move is part of the group's broader strategy to streamline operations and improve efficiency across its international malt production and distribution network.
The rollout will take place in two phases. Beginning in January 2027, European and international customers of Castle Malting, alongside French clients of Artisan Brasseur, will be served by unified Country Malt Group sales and technical brewing teams. Malt, hops, yeast, and other brewing ingredients will be supplied from a new distribution center. In March 2027, the group plans to launch a digital e-commerce platform available in seven languages, combining the existing online stores Castlemalting.com and ArtisanBrasseur.fr into a single ordering system.
Country Malt Group has its origins in North America. Founded in 1995 in Champlain, New York, as North Country Malt, the business initially supplied malt to homebrewers before expanding into a major distributor of brewing and distilling ingredients. Later renamed Country Malt Group, it became part of United Malt Group, which was acquired by Soufflet Malt in November 2023 for approximately USD 1.5 billion. The acquisition significantly expanded Soufflet Malt's international footprint and was followed by the introduction of a unified corporate identity in 2024 (inside.beer, 17.10.2024). While the European launch of Country Malt Group extends a distribution model already established in North America, the group also operates a similar business model with Cryer Malt in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to Guillaume Couture, President of Soufflet Malt for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the expansion supports the group's MALTiply 2030 strategy, which emphasizes digitalization, operational efficiency, and the optimization of its global production network.
Ludovic Galand, Managing Director of Country Malt Group for Europe, explained that the new distribution model addresses challenges facing regional craft brewers and distillers, including rising production costs, growing competition, and increasingly complex supply chains. By combining technical expertise, logistics, and digital services, the company aims to simplify ingredient sourcing and strengthen customer relationships.
A central element of the new offering is Soufflet Malt's so-called Heritage Collection, which brings together seven established malt brands from different brewing traditions: Bairds Malt from the United Kingdom, Castle Malting from Belgium, Durst Malz from Germany, Tchecomalt from the Czech Republic, Great Western Malting from the United States, Canada Malting from Canada, and Barrett Burston Malting from Australia. The portfolio is intended to provide craft brewers and distillers with access to a broad range of traditional malt recipes and specialty products through a single distribution network.
The inclusion of Durst Malz and Castle Malting in the Heritage Collection highlights a growing discrepancy between traditional brand identities and actual production locations. Following the closure of its Castrop-Rauxel facility in 2025, Heidelsheim at the end of 2025, and Gernsheim in the first quarter of 2026, Soufflet Malt has withdrawn entirely from malt production in Germany. Nevertheless, the Durst Malz brand continues to be marketed as representing German brewing expertise, although its products are now supplied from the group's European malting network (inside.beer, 09.12.2025).
A similar situation is emerging in Belgium, where Soufflet Malt announced plans in October 2026 to cease production at the historic Castle Malting facility in Beloeil by December 31, 2026 (inside.beer, 07.10.2026). Through its listed subsidiary Malteries Franco-Belges, the group is considering transferring Belgian specialty malt production to its plant in Pithiviers, France, potentially starting in January 2027. However, no final decision on the relocation has been announced.
Soufflet Malt, part of the French agricultural cooperative InVivo, currently operates 35 malting plants across 20 countries with a combined annual production capacity of 3.6 million metric tons and more than 2,200 employees.
