Chivas Brothers: Inside our latest Growers Group event for contracted growers
Earlier this month, more than 60 of our directly contracted farmer suppliers joined representatives from Simpsons Malt Limited and Chivas Brothers for a gathering of both the distiller's Growers Groups with us at the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie.
The growers who attended – based from the Highlands of Scotland down into northern England – are all contracted through our agricultural merchanting division, McCreath Simpson & Prentice (MSP), to grow distilling wheat for the Chivas Brothers Strathclyde Growers Group and/or malting barley for the Chivas Brothers Miltonduff Growers Group.
Following harvest, our haulage department arranges for the collection of the grain from farm and it is then stored in grain storage sites that we own. Distilling wheat is delivered direct from store to Strathclyde Distillery, while the malting barley is transported to our Tweed Valley Maltings in Berwick-upon-Tweed to go through the malting process before being delivered to Miltonduff Distillery. Both distilleries produce spirit for the Ballantine's brand.
These Growers Group events bring together farmers, Simpsons Malt colleagues and distillery representatives to share knowledge, align on sustainability goals and better understand each other's priorities.
Discussions often focus on the key challenges facing the sector, including seasonal variability, market dynamics and other factors that can influence quality and supply, as well as how barley is used and valued by distillers.
The day commenced with business updates from Andy Hindhaugh, Commercial Director, and Ronald Daalmans, Chivas Brothers' Sustainability Director. Their presentations covered production plans, project progress, an overview of where both businesses currently stand and plans for the near future.
David Barrett, Fertiliser Director, then delivered an update on the current fertiliser market and price outlook, while also touching on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Attendees then heard from Sarah Hynes, Grain Team Lead, and Claire Strachan, Grain Trader, who provided an overview of the current grain market with a specific focus on the Chivas Brothers wheat contracts that many of the growers who attended have.
Before lunch, growers had the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with representatives from both businesses, which provided an open forum to discuss current challenges and opportunities across the industry.
To conclude the day, Ben Gothorp, our Sustainability Manager, introduced the Chivas Brothers Steering Group, which aims to help shape the future direction of the group and the format of wider group events.
He also shared insights and data on the group's current sustainability practices gathered through Cool Farm Tool and xarvio Field Manager, including nutrient use efficiency and its impact on yield.
Feedback from attendees was very positive, with growers and representatives from both businesses highlighting the value of events like this in strengthening relationships across the supply chain and improving understanding of the challenges currently being faced within the sector.
“The whole day was well run, with honest and interesting presentations that acknowledged the uncertainty within the industry at the moment.”
Graham Brown, Reidhall Farms
Get in touch
If you are interested in finding out more about our Growers Group concept, contact your Farm Trader or a member of our grain trading team today or call us on 01289 330 022.
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