Prairie Malt Seeks AC Crystal Wheat

BIGGAR - Sep 16/02 - SNS -- Prairie Malt has won a contract to supply wheat malt to make specialty beers for this year's Octoberfest celebrations.

The contract will allow the company to buy at least 2,000 metric tons (MT) of low-protein AC Crystal wheat.

Noting this is the first time the company has used wheat, Jack Foster, Prairie Malt's director of Barley Procurement, said the contract results from the fact Cargill is now the company's largest shareholder. This has brought it an increasing number of contracts from the United States, with the result the company no longer expected to sell 97% of what it produces to the Pacific Rim.

Foster said one of the newest customers is an American brewer that wants to buy all its malt from one company, Prairie Malt. "But, in addition to brewing traditional beer from barley malt, this company uses wheat malt to make specialty beer for seasonal celebrations such as Octoberfests. So late last year we were scrambling to meet this order," says Foster.

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