Australia: Australian barley enjoys success at Sapporo by increasing its market profile

Sapporo, Japan's third brewery, boosted its market profile by publicising its use of high-quality Australian barley, the Australian ABC said on September 15.

Dr Ken Ogushi, who is attending a barley conference in Hobart, states his company visits Australian farms three times a year to make sure growers are catering for the concerns of Japanese drinkers.

"Before seeding I just see the farmers and talk with them, drinking beer of course. Before harvest we see the actual crops to check or monitor the growth of the barley and after harvest we have to check the samples" he said.

This way Sapporo Brewery's quality management system traces malt barley all the way from the paddock to the bottle.