In Manitoba’s Neepawa region, Farmery Estate Brewery has spent more than a decade building a rare kind of beer operation—one where the barley and hops are grown just steps from the brewhouse, and almost nothing goes to waste.
Now, with support from a $50,000 CFIN Innovation Booster grant awarded in December 2024, the brewery is taking the next step by exploring a new use for its biggest waste stream: brewing mash. The goal is to extract functional proteins and fibres from spent grain—valuable nutrients that typically go to waste.
Exploring What’s Left in the Grain
While brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is rich in protein and dietary fibre, it’s rarely used in human food. Farmery aims to change that through a research and development project focused on identifying—and testing—ways to extract these compounds from barley mash at small scale. Initial lab work is underway, focused on enzyme-based methods for extracting protein and peptides from spent grain, guided by current research in food science and brewing by-product applications.
Later stages of the project will move from lab to brewhouse. If extraction workflows prove viable, Farmery plans to run pilot demonstrations on-site, validating results and refining processes before scaling further. The brewery's integrated operation—where ingredients are grown, processed, and brewed in one place—gives it a unique advantage when it comes to closing the loop.
A Natural Fit for a Vertically Integrated Brewery
Farmery already produces a surprising range of products beyond beer: malted sodas, hop-infused bath and beauty items, and barley-based energy drinks. The ability to unlock new food-grade ingredients from existing by-products fits squarely within the brewery’s ethos: to reduce waste, reuse what’s already on hand, and generate value without expanding its land base or supply chain.
Farmery's CFIN-funded project runs through 2025 and includes a full series of lab experiments, prototype development, and early-stage product trials. If successful, the work could lead to small-batch production of new functional food or wellness ingredients—sourced entirely from Farmery’s own crops.
By building on what they already grow and brew, Farmery is taking a practical step toward deeper sustainability—one that turns a familiar by-product into a homegrown ingredient with a new purpose.