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Heineken UK launches major regenerative barley programme

The initiative – which has been launched in collaboration with maltsters Muntons and Boortmalt, barley merchants Cefetra and agronomists Soil Capital – aims to support UK farmers to adopt regenerative practices at scale.

Under the scheme, agricultural businesses will be paid a premium by Heineken for regenerative barely yields, in order to make the transition commercially viable.

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Multi-year commitments and practical, on-farm support from the beer giant are also aimed at helping to reduce the risk involved in changing farming practices.

The shift to using regenerative malting barley will extend across Heineken UK’s portfolio, including Heineken, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, John Smith’s Foster’s and Amstel, with the first yield due to be harvested this year, and purchased by the company in 2027.

That year, nearly half of the malted barley sourced by Heineken UK will be grown through regenerative practices.

Heineken is one of the largest beer, cider and pub companies in the UK, brewing over 1.3 billion pints of beer ever year, and supplying 80% of British pubs. Over 95% of this beer is brewed here in the UK.

The programme will focus on growing regions across England and Scotland, including East Anglia, the east Midlands, the Southeast, the Southwest and Fife and the Scottish Borders.

Commenting on the initiative, Sonia Thimmiah, the corporate affairs director for Heineken UK, said: “British malting barley is at the heart of some of the UK’s best-loved beers, so making it more resilient for the future matters.

“This programme is about working with partners to make regenerative agriculture practical, scalable and commercially viable by strengthening soils and helping farms stay fit for the future. It is also an important contribution to Heineken’s global Brew a Better World strategy and aims to protect water and nature as well as reduce carbon emissions.”

Regenerative farming focuses on agricultural methods aimed at improving soil health, retaining carbon in the soil, supporting biodiversity and building resilience against climate change.

The initiative is underpinned by agronomy firm Soil Capital’s independent measurements, reporting and verification, providing farm-level data on key regenerative outcomes to ensure transparency within the scheme and track progress over time.

Overall, the programme is designed to support Heineken's global Brew a Better World strategy, which aims to reach net zero carbon by 2040 across its value chain. 

• malt
• brewing
• net zero
• Regenerative farming
• agriculture
• Heineken UK
• barley
• Soil Capital