The Malt Exchange

Signe Langford

Consider us a matchmaking service for local brewers who have spent malt to get rid of and local farmers who have animals waiting to eat it up!

That is the first line on the The Malt Exchange website, which briefly describes the mission that local food champion, Signe Langford, has created for herself.

Langford wants to ensure that spent grain from local Ontario breweries doesn't go to waste. Her goal is to get it into the hands of farmers who will in turn use it for animal feed. By creating partnerships and working together, craft brewers and farmers can easily eliminate the unnecessary dumping of the spent grain at landfills and turn the process into something positive for both parties.

To kick things off, Langford has enlisted Ron Keefe of Toronto's Granite Brewery, who will be supplying around 600kg of spent barley malt per week to Kawartha Ecological Growers (KEG) (a farming co-op with about 20 members), who will then use it to raise various animals including chickens, cows, lambs and pigs.

Featuring a full menu at the tied-house, Keefe has been in discussion with Mark Trealout of KEG about the possibility of one day serving meat from the animals that will soon be consuming his spent grain. As Langford says on her website, "It's win win for everyone."

Should any breweries be interested in participating in The Malt Exchange, or finding out more about Langford's initiative, they can contact her by visiting the website.