Premium Irish Malting Barley
Our Premium Irish Malting Barley
The naturally fertile soils of Munster and Leinster, combined with a mild, temperate, oceanic climate and long growing season, provide ideal conditions to produce premium quality malting barley.
MCI’s shareholders, Dairygold and Tirlán (two of Ireland’s largest Agri Co-Operatives) supply all our premium malting barley. Combining the practical knowledge of our experienced group of 600 registered barley growers and the impressive technical guidance available through the Dairygold and Tirlán branch network, we can ensure that each crop reaches its full potential.
Our growers operate with the full support of the Tirlán and Dairygold Agronomy teams, utilising Teagasc best practice guidelines and ensuring the latest farming techniques and research are available to our farmers while growing Ireland’s finest malting barley.
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Our Seed
All MCI barley is grown from 2-row spring malting barley seed varieties. The MCI team actively participates in the Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA) initiatives in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The ISTA carries out extensive seed research and trials to help improve the agronomic performance of future barley crops. We welcome the opportunity to continue to engage in developing new and improved barley varieties, and we are proud to play our part in creating sustainable barley on Irish soils.
Approved by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling
The Institute of Brewing and Distilling, a leading brewing industry authority, approves all our malting barley seed varieties. These rigorous standards ensure we only use premium barley to produce our finest malts.
Quality Assurance
Once harvested, the barley undergoes a stringent quality control process. We carefully scrutinise each grain to ensure that only those capable of producing fine-quality malts make the selection for MCI processing. Careful drying and storage in dedicated facilities ensure that the barley loses none of its natural goodness prior to production.
Once matured, the grain is extensively tested to assess the various constituents and characteristics of the barley. Once the barley meets our quality specifications, it is delivered to our site in Cork using quality, approved hauliers.
Traceability
Throughout the process, we maintain detailed records to ensure we can trace all grains back to their origin. This commitment to traceability is a key part of our quality control process for every batch of malt.
The Malting Company of Ireland is proud to be a member of the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme (IGAS). IGAS is unique in Europe as the most comprehensive system of grain traceability. IGAS has gained the gold standard from the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), the leading international accreditation system overseen by the Sustainable Agricultural Initiative (SAI Platform).
All MCI growers are registered IGAS members. IGAS is the accepted standard for the Irish cereal crop’s production, transport, handling, and storage. IGAS conducts thorough assessments to achieve the highest possible standards and ensure that our grain is the first choice for all quality markets. The IGAS scheme covers 100% of MCI grain. Our ongoing commitment to IGAS is a testament to our team’s dedication to providing the finest malt to all our valued customers.
