Barley is an essential ingredient for our beer – and the focus of the lab’s ground-breaking research into climate-tolerant crops. In the last decade, we have invested more than DKK 50m in research on breeding new sustainable and climate-tolerant raw materials, as well as advances in hop, yeast and brewing processes.

Barley bred to produce higher yields also has a lower climate impact because the same amount can be grown using less fertiliser, which takes a lot of carbon to produce. In Russia, the 70 farmers who supply our Baltika breweries are using barley varieties developed by our lab that are more sustainable than current elite varieties. Their yield is approximately 10% higher than varieties developed locally in Russia.

“Our farm is one of the leading farms in the Yaroslavl region and has grown brewing barley for several years. Thanks to Carlsberg Group, our experience turned out to be a success: the harvest almost tripled within three years. The barley must meet specifications and grows under regular monitoring that allows it to reach high quality. Carlsberg Group specialists provide consultations and always assist us with expert advice,” says Nikolay Minakin, Head of Kurdumovskoye farm, Yaroslavl, Russia.