MALTING QUALITY TRAITS - Canadian Malting Barley Technical ...

Chapter Nine
associated government and private sector groups in the development of high quality barley varieties
for international and domestic markets.
As the location of the main research facilities for the provincial/federal/producer
sponsored Barley Development Project, the Centre’s field and laboratory facilities were
further enhanced by the on-site addition of the James H. Helm Cereal Research Centre in 1998.
Barley research activities have a three-fold focus – the development of two-rowed malting barley,
feed barley and hulless barley varieties. It has released over 20 varieties of barley and triticale with
multiple disease resistance and agrinomic and yield traits needed by Alberta producers.
Malting Companies
In Canada there are currently four major malting companies: Canada Malting Co.
Limited, Prairie Malt Limited, Rahr Malting Limited, and Malteurop Canada Limited.
Currently, the combined capacity of all four companies is 922 000 tonnes. Capacity is
expected to continue to be fully utilized, even in a world market with no significant growth, since
Canada is recognized as a supplier of consistently high quality malt.
Canada Malting Co. Limited
Founded in 1902, Canada Malting Co. Limited is part of a group of companies
owned by GRAINCORP, one of the world’s largest producers of malted barley for use by
brewers, distillers and food manufacturers. In total, Canada Malt produces 1.2 million tonnes of
malted barley annually from 19 plants in 5 countries.
Canada Malting Co. Limited is Canada’s leading malt producer and exporter. Canada
Malting Co. Limited operates three plants, the largest located in Calgary, Alberta.
The Calgary plant has a capacity of 260 000 tonnes annually. The Thunder Bay, Ontario plant has a
capacity of 130 000 tonnes and the Montreal, Quebec plant 80 000 tonnes annually.
Prairie Malt Limited
Prairie Malt Limited is located in Biggar, Saskatchewan. The plant is part of the third largest
malster Cargill Inc. Prairie Malt uses two separate malting systems: the Fleximalt and Wanderhaufen
malting systems. The plant produces up to 220 000 tonnes of malt annually for brewers worldwide.
Malteurop
Malteurop is the largest malting company in the world comprising 24 sites and 2.2M mt of
production. The capacity of MaltEurop’s operation located in Winnipeg, Manitoba is 92 000 tonnes.
Malt is supplied to domestic breweries, mainly in Eastern Canada, and a significant portion of the
company’s production is exported. Facilities include both Fleximalt capacities and separate germination
kiln styles of production. All operations are automated for process flow and process control.
Rahr Malting Canada Limited
Rahr Malting Limited is located in Alix, Alberta. The company’s major
shareholder is Rahr Malting Co. of Minneapolis, USA. Westcan Malting Limited
commissioned the first tower malthouse in North America in early 1993. Utilizing the latest European
and North American technologies, the tower-malting system has a high degree of automation and
computer control. Approximately 50% of the malt produced is sold to overseas markets. Current
capacity is 140 000 tonnes annually.
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