Tremendous scope for organic farm produce in microbreweries

Bengaluru, Karnataka: Besides the exponential growth of the IT sector in India’s Silicon Valley, a quiet revolution has been brewing in the F&G industry as well. Vivek Cariappa, 53, is one of the beneficiaries. Apart from practicing organic farming in a 20-acre farm in HD Kote taluka for over three decades, Cariappa also supplies an integral component required for a beer that is served nearly 200 kms away—malted ragi.

Since over one and a half years, the organic farmer has been supplying malted ragi to the Biere Club, a microbrewery in Bangalore, that has been actively experimenting with the grain by incorporating it in their beer. Rohit Parwani, brewmaster at the Biere Club, says that about 1.6 tonnes of ragi malt that is procured from Cariappa, is used in their brewing process. In addition to that, they also buy mangoes and organic jaggery from Cariappa that they use in a few of their beers.

Parwani is not the only one to do so. Bangalore’s recent upmarket microbreweries have managed to give a shot in the arm to the economy of villagers in the nearby districts by creating a demand for different kinds of traditional grains like millet and others like quinoa.

Sakshi Sagaraju, co-owner of Bangalore Brew Works (BBW), said that the healthy quinoa grains incorporated in their brews are sourced from a farmer in Ananthpur, Andhra Pradesh via Oriller Foods International. The grains are later processed as per needs and used to produce smooth beer. Apart from quinoa, locally-sourced sugarcane and green chillies grown on Sakshi’s farm are also used for some of their other beers.  

Founder of Oriller Foods International Jeevan Prashanth has employed farmers working on a contract basis in about 250 acres of land cultivating millets and quinoa. “We have about 40 to 50 farmers working in about 100 of 250 acres of land to produce over 400 kgs of quinoa per acre. Since it’s difficult for farmers to sell the grain directly in the market because of low demand, we make sure we pay them at least Rs. 71 per kg,” he says adding that he is lucky that BBW agreed to purchase the malted quinoa from him even though it is half a ton as other breweries were very skeptical as they are still experimenting with the taste.

Brewers in the city reported that when they make these millet based beers, if they only use millet, the end product (Beer) is not very smooth, so they need to use wheat or barley to balance the flavour of the beer.

The concept of craft beer originated in the United States and has had a notable impact on its economy. Though there isn’t much research on Indian microbreweries as the field is relatively new, the scope of the industry can be gauged by its contributions in America. The US-based Brewers Association report states that in 2016 over 6,000 American breweries with craft breweries contributed $67.8 billion to the country’s economy and the craft breweries alone added 4.5 lakh jobs.

Farmers cultivating different grains for different microbreweries, however, do not have it so easy. “The process of malting takes about a week to ten days starting from sprouting it, drying it to roasting it. It also has to be cleaned after that and the level of hygiene has to be really high. There have been times when batches of ragi malt have been wasted because of the rains or faults in the roasting process,” Cariappa says while explaining the process of malting ragi. He added that he has been roasting ragi malt since the time he began farming around 32 years back, using it as baby weaning food as it is very nutritious. Cariappa prepares batches three times a year based on demand with a total of over one and a half tonnes in a year and makes a profit of about 40 per cent.

Grains are not the only reason why these brewmasters look towards farmers. Ajay Nagrajan, CEO at Windmills Craftworks, has been actively experimenting with fruit beers. “For our Alphonso mango ale, each batch requires over 200 kgs of organic naturally ripened mangoes that we source directly from Ratnagiri,” he says adding that they also add organic jaggery to their Extra Special Bitter and Coconut Brown Ale categories of beer.

Co-founder of Brewsky and Geist Narayan Manepally’s interests lie in millets. “It doesn’t require too much water to grow and can thrive in brackish water. It is not only healthy but it can also earn better revenues for the farmer in addition to being organic,” Manepally, a member of the Craft Beer Association, says while listing the positives.

Manepally said that incorporating these grains in the brews is still in a nascent stage which means there is scope for a greater demand. For instance, the millet beer produced at Brewsky and Geist has a millet concentration of a little above 30 per cent and the brewery is engrossed in experiments to raise it till 100 per cent. Manepally also believes there is great potential here as those who are gluten intolerant can easily chug down this beer. However, it would take some time to increase the volume of grains procured from the farmers.

Since the malting process influences the quality of the beer, Manepally informs that breweries, who are a part of the association, are also working with MS Ramaiah University to understand how to improve the process and make the required technology more accessible to farmers. If the farmers can produce and malt before selling the grains, it will ensure them a higher price, he adds.

The breweries report that most of their experiments with grains have been more or less successful and have been well received by customers as they are willing to try something new. In January, the Karnataka Agriculture department and the Craft Beer Association organised a meeting before the Organic Millet fair to discuss how breweries can help to further the cause of the millet production. Several farmers cooperatives across Karnataka also took part in the millet fair. Jeevan Prasanth, who was also present in this fair, is hopeful that more breweries, other than a handful, would be more forthcoming with the idea to incorporate these grains.

“Breweries had announced during the millet fair that they would produce millet beer to support the government initiative. However, the current method of sourcing grains from those who malt as well as produce is three times more expensive than imported grains. Therefore, we have listed the farmers’ cooperatives in areas like Mandya and Mysore and these have been identified by the government to actively engage with. We also want to equip them at some point so that they can have their own laboratories to do their own testing,” Manepally says.

Arun George, the co-founder of Toit brewpub, says that while they do brew a few special beers that contain locally-sourced grains, currently they haven't engaged in long-term commitments with farmers in the area as the quantity of these grains they are using is very low. “This is definitely part of our plans as we expand into setting up our own production facility. When that facility is completely set up, it will enable us to engage with and support local communities,” George adds.

The Karnataka state government is promoting the collaboration between microbreweries and farmers. It has identified 14 farmers cooperatives across the state who microbreweries could collaborate with. The government is also holding millet festivals in different parts of the state.

However, Cariappa says that the idea could work if there is better connections. “The millet festival felt like an eyewash and there is a need for a permanent solution,” he said. He emphasised the need for a solid demand and supply chain that connects the supplier (farmer) with the retailer.