Beverage Industry Thirsty For Perennial Grain

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

Perennial grain Kernza is now available for consumers, but traditional food products aren’t the only markets Kernza is tapping into. Sustain-A-Grain co-founder Peter Miller says the unique flavor profile of this perennial grain has drawn a lot of interest and engagement from the beverage industry.

Miller… “The food safety requirements for alcohol are much lower, and so you know, it takes a while for us to get all the nutritional testing and setting up the supply chain for food products, where beverage products, grain going into that, is a much simpler process, and so that has driven a lot of that early demand, but the more that it has been experimented with, the more people are finding that it has unique characteristics that they are purchasing for. So that flavor, again, especially in distilling. So, first it was beer. Now we’re moving into a period where you’re going to see a lot more Kernza whiskies, and I think part of the appeal of alcohol is that you actually have a label there to examine, to learn about, to hear the story of Kernza on a beer can, where, you know if you’re eating a bread you don’t get that sort of storytelling, and it’s a really important piece for educating people about the benefits.”

Kernza offers high levels of protein and fiber while also benefitting the soil, water, and air.