Local Brewing Co has received a $400,000 grant from the Coles Nurture Fund to increase production of its Australian-first brewing innovation.
The Melbourne-based brewery will use the funds for additional research and equipment to create 100 times the current volume of EcoCrumb, which converts waste bread into beer.
“We’ve been brewing with repurposed bread for our limited-edition Surplus Series beers for a few years now, rescuing more than two tonnes of Coles Brand bread from waste,” said Local Brewing Co co-founder Nick Campbell.
“EcoCrumb upcycles surplus bread by dehydrating and milling it down into a crumb that then substitutes the traditional grain used in brewing. Our biggest challenge has been using the bread in the short window of time before it spoils.”
Local Brewing Co’s limited Surplus Series has preserved more than 50 tonnes of fruit and upcycled two tonnes of bread, with leftover grain from the brewing process also being used as animal feed.
Citrus Hazy Pale, the brewery’s most recent Surplus Series release, was made with 100 kilograms of surplus Coles Brand bread.
Earlier this week, Coles partnered with Harry Potter as part of a new campaign to encourage more families to consume more fresh food.
