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Brewgooder continues fonio beer trend
UK brewery Brewgooder has joined the trend for promoting beers made from fonio grain rather than barley, creating a supply chain for the product.
The brewer has developed a Fairtrade-certified brewing supply chain for the climate-resistant grain with the aim to promoting and putting on a level-playing field West African farming communities.
Set up within a six month period, the supply chain has been created with fonio farming co-operatives in Guinea in order for the communities to be paid a fairer price for their work and grain, while also ensuring sustainable and equitable economic growth.
Representatives from the area described the supply chain as “transformational”, and according to local cooperatives, 67 farmers have signed up, with two thirds of those joining since Fairtrade certification.
Benefits
Depending on the growth and success of the supply chain, it is hoped hundreds of farmers and the communities “could benefit in future”, the brewery said.
The supply chain, called ‘Open Grain’ will be “accessible to all”, it said, and any UK-based brewery or business looking to use fonio will be able to tap into the grain supply.
It follows Brewgooder creating a 4.3% ABV session IPA with Brooklyn Brewery last year. At the time, the two breweries said they would develop a supply chain to enable regular, at-scale use of the grain in the UK brewing industry.
Brooklyn has gone on to work with its European and UK distributor Carlsberg on a limited edition 7.5% ABV fonio beer.
To date, fonio is not a grain used widely in the UK, and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) believes it is unlikely to be so in the future.
The trade body noted that while cereal prices have been high for a while driven by the crisis in Ukraine and issues with fertiliser costs, the UK beer industry is somewhat less reliant on exports because it sources barley from UK farms. In the UK, it is rare to find an all-wheat beer and the main types of beers with a higher wheat content being German and Belgian style wheat beers, meaning that sourcing a wheat alternative is less of a pressing issue.
Quick to harvest
Fonio is one of the WWF’s 50 foods for the future, as it is quick to harvest, doesn’t require fertilisers, is less water intensive than barley, and can thrive in less fertile soils.
UK consumer demand for Fairtrade products has surged in recent years, with Kantar research from 2022 revealing around 80% of consumers have chosen Fairtrade products over an alternative.
Alan Mahon, founder at Brewgooder, said he believed the supply chain and new beer could have a “game changing” impact.
He said: “Enabling other beer producers to use our supply chain makes that possible. We’re not adopting Fairtrade fonio to give ourselves a USP, but to show what can be achieved when you collaborate with farming communities for a fairer deal.”
“We faced almost impossible odds in bringing this supply chain together in just six months, but we achieved it through the incredible effort, commitment, and drive of our farming and logistics partners. It demonstrates that a vision for a fairer, more equitable world can make seemingly impossible things happen.”
Maimouna Diallo, coordinator in the Guinea farming cooperative described the collaboration as “a testament to the power of socially responsible business practices in creating lasting impact and fostering equitable growth”.
She continued: “ We look forward to a fruitful partnership that benefits not only our farmers but also the wider community and the environment. A true circular exchange between Africa and the UK – a win-win situation.”
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