Budweiser Brewing Group achieves 100% British sourcing target for barley in UK-produced beers

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I said it has achieved the target of sourcing 100% of the barley used for its beers produced in the UK from British farms.

The AB InBev subsidiary hit the milestone ahead of schedule, after pledging in 2014 to achieve 100% sourcing by the end of 2020.

“We set ourselves the ambitious goal to source 100% of our barley in Britain. Today, we’re so proud to announce that we’ve reached this goal despite the uncertainties of Covid-19,” commented Paula Lindenberg, president of, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I.

“Local communities are the lifeblood of this country, so we’re absolutely committed to supporting them, creating more efficient supply chains, and brewing the UK’s most sustainable beers.”

Working with partners, Budweiser Brewing Group introduced a new type of grain, known as ‘Explorer’, to the UK to meet the specific standards needed to brew Budweiser’s recipe. Prior to 2014, the brewer used to import 100% of barley used for the beer, as the unique properties were not available in the UK-grown barley.

More than 300 farmers now grow barley for Budweiser in the UK, covering more than 6,000 hectares of British farms and producing 40,000 tonnes of barley each year.

Eric Wright, from Wrights Agriculture, Leicestershire, one of the farmers growing Explorer barley, said: “I’ve been part of the programme to grow Explorer since 2014 when the grain was first introduced to Britain to brew Budweiser. As a proud British farmer, it’s really important to me that what I produce is used in this country and supports our economy.

“It’s great to know what I do is at the heart of the supply chain for a home-grown and home-consumed product.”

Besides Budweiser, the farms produce enough barley for some of the UK’s most popular beers like Stella Artois and Corona, brewed at the firm’s two breweries in Magor in South Wales and Samlesbury in Lancashire. The breweries produce more than 20 million bottles and cans of Budweiser each week alone.