Sourcing regenerative malt barley in Denmark

To help minimise our impact on nature, we have applied a range of regenerative farming approaches, including:
•    no- or low-tillage cultivation
•    soil covered for 95% of the year
•    avoiding overuse of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides by using the minimum needed

As there is no official standard for regenerative raw materials and cultivation methods, we worked with agriculture consultancy firm Agrovi to develop Carlsberg-specific regenerative agriculture requirements for a Danish context. Learnings from the UK, Finland and France –  markets that are also trialing approaches to regenerative barley farming  – were leveraged for the benefit of the Danish team.

We have since signed an agreement with DLG and Viking Malt to buy malt barley grown to meet these standards. We expect to receive up to 500 tonnes in 2024, which our breweries in Copenhagen and Fredericia will use to produce up to 3.3 million litres of beer.

This regenerative malt barley has the exact same quality standards and flavour profile as conventional malt barley. A portion will be used to brew a special edition Carlsberg beer made from 100% regeneratively grown malt barley. Any remaining barley will go towards creating the well-known Carlsberg Pilsner.