Boortmalt, the world’s largest malting group, will increase production at its Buckie plant in Scotland by 50%. The GBP 12 million investment is already under way and is scheduled to start production at the end of this year. A new kiln will help to boost production capacity to about 90,000 tons per year and to reduce energy cost.
“The new capacity will allow us to increase production and do so in a more sustainable manner,”says Boortmalt’s group chief executive Yvan Schaepman. The company’s carbon footprint will be reduced not only by saving energy thanks to more economical burner technology but also through reducing the distance malt and barley will be transported. Most of the barley used in the process will be grown in Scotland and the malt will help to support growing demand for malt in Scottish whisky distilling and brewing and does not need to be transported from far away.
Charles Tozer, general manager for Boortmalt in the UK and Ireland, said that his company aims to increase the use of Scottish barley allowing more Scottish distillers to have their whisky produced from wholly domestic ingredients.
“We pride ourselves on working alongside each distiller and brewer to offer them the malt they need for their style of beer or whisky,” he said.
In the last years, Boortmalt has grown from being a mid-sized European malting group to become a truly international player.
In February 2017, Boortmalt announced to build a new malthouse supplied through local farmers in Ethiopia, the company’s first operation outside of Europe. (inside.beer, 8.2.2017) Construction of the 60,000 tons plant started in 2018 and two months ago, in January 2021, the company was “pleased to announce that [the] Ethiopian malting plant [was] fully operational.”
Also in 2017, Boortmalt said to extend its yearly malting capacity in Athy, located 80 km southwest of Ireland’s capital Dublin, by 30,000 tons (inside.beer, 9.11.2017) and last but not least the company announced to add a fourth production facility at its production site in the Belgian port of Antwerp, making it the world’s largest malting site with 470,000 tons in annual capacity. (inside.beer, 8.2.2017)
The final move to become an international player was in November 2019 when the group sealed the acquisition of the malting division of Cargill which consisted of 16 malting plants in nine countries with a combined annual malting capacity of 1.7 million tons. (inside.beer, 4.11.2019)
