Coopers Brewery has made a massive investment at its Regency Park headquarters

COOPERS has made the biggest investment in its 155 year history, today opening a $65 million malting plant at its Regency Park Brewery.

Tim Cooper holding barley outside the new Coopers Malting expansion. (AAP Image/ Brenton Edwards)

COOPERS has made the biggest investment in its 155 year history, today opening a $65 million malting plant at its Regency Park brewery.

The investment is even larger than the money spent to move the brewery from Leabrook to Regency Park in 2001 which cost the company $40 million.

The expansion will create eight new jobs and involves a 13,000sq/m plant which the company says is the “most technically advanced in the world’’.

Coopers managing director Dr Tim Cooper said that at full capacity, the maltings would produce around 54,000 tonnes of malt a year and give Coopers full control over an important raw material.

Coopers will use approximately 17,000 tonnes of the 54,000 tonnes of malt a year in its operations, with the balance sold to a range of domestic and export customers. This includes independent brewers looking for reliable malt supplies.

Malt is a key ingredient in the production of beer and extracts of malt are widely used by food manufacturers. It is produced by germinating and processing barley, enabling specific sugars and enzymes to be accessed.

“South Australian farmers are recognised as producing some of the best malting barley in the world and we will be looking to establish strong relationships with them into the future,” Dr Cooper said.

“Some of the innovations we have incorporated include full stainless-steel construction, enclosed conveyors, together with advanced process control and monitoring.

“In terms of water usage, process control and automation, this is the most advanced maltings in the world.”

The new plant marks a return to the maltings business for Coopers.

Between 1988 and 2002, Coopers was a majority shareholder of Adelaide Maltings until it was sold to AusBulk to help pay down debt incurred by Coopers’ move from its old Leabrook brewery to Regency Park.

“When we sold to AusBulk, it was with the intent of eventually getting back into that business,” Dr Cooper said.

The first beer brewed from malt from the new plant is expected to be in hotels and bottle shops before Christmas.

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Major Equipment:

 25 barley, malt and processing silos

 Three steeping vessels (each 60 tonne capacity)

 Four germination vessels

 Kiln vessel

 Overhead gallery connecting maltings to the brewery

Barley:

Sourced mainly from South Australian barley farmers. Principal varieties of

barley used are Commander and Compass