CS Fresh and Cold Storage partners CRUST Group to create Born & Bread, a collaborative beer made from leftover bread loaves.
Food wastage is a huge problem in Singapore. And the problem has only grown – the amount of food waste has increased by around 20% over the last ten years. Singapore generated some 665,000 tonnes of food waste alone in 2020, according to the National Environment Agency.
But many are taking up the fight in the name of sustainability. The latest? DFI Retail Group, brand owners of Cold Storage and CS Fresh, have partnered with food technology company CRUST Group to turn leftover bread into beer. In an effort to combat food wastage, surplus bread from Cold Storage and CS Fresh outlets will be handed over to CRUST Group to be brewed into a collaborative beer called Born & Bread.
Turning bread into beer isn’t a new idea; New York brewery Toast Ale was among the first commercial enterprises to use baked goods in brewing. But it goes even further back in history; in ancient times, the people of Egypt and Mesopotamia made a nutritious beer from bread by placing loaves and yeast into jars of water. More recently, there’s Russian kvass, a fermented beverage also made using bread.
For Born & Bread, the process starts with excess loaves that are close to expiration are sent to CRUST. The loaves are first mashed together with malted barley and water. This wash is then boiled with hops and more collected bread before it finally fermented into beer. The resultant beer is a Pilsner-style beer that’s crisp and refreshing, with pleasant hop bitterness that balances malt and cereal notes.
“We are delighted to launch this collaboration with CRUST Group – a company that is passionate about sustainability. Food waste is a global problem and the team at CRUST have found innovative ways to upcycle leftover bread to make delicious craft brews. We thought it would be a great idea to use their know-how with our leftover bread and this is when Born & Bread was conceived,” shared Fiona Stephens, South East Asia Head of Commercial – Commodities, Beers, Wines, Spirits, & Drinks at DFI Retail Group.
“Born & Bread was created to be light and easy-drinking, with a balance of smoothness and hoppiness. We want our customers to enjoy a can of Born & Bread whilst also knowing that they are drinking a planet-friendly lager,” she added.
Depending on the reception for Born & Bread, DFI Retail Group will also look at expanding Born & Bread into a full range of beers of various styles using different breads. DFI is also exploring with CRUST to create soft drinks from surplus fruits and vegetables with CRUST.
[Image credits: Superadrianme.com]
Born & Bread is available now at select Cold Storage and CS Fresh locations at a promotional price of S$6 per can from now till 23rd March.
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