Altmühltaler Emmer: Riedenburger Brauhaus wins the “30 for 30” competition
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Great joy at Riedenburger Brauhaus: The project “Altmühltaler Emmer: Revitalization and preservation of a climate-stable ancient grain variety in the bio-regional value-added cycle” was recognized as one of the winning projects in the sixth round of the “30 for 30” competition. This initiative of the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism (StMELF) recognizes innovative and sustainable projects in Bavaria, that are committed to climate protection, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. A special focus on the Bavarian Organic Seal, which recognizes regional organic food that is grown and processed in Bavaria according to strict organic standards in Bavaria.
With its award-winning project, the Riedenburger Brauhaus promotes the cultivation and use of the historic grain variety emmer in the heart of Bavaria, thus keeping alive an old cultivated variety that has almost disappeared from modern agriculture. Together with long-standing contract farmers, the organic brewery places the climate-stable ancient grain variety “Altmühltaler Emmer” at the center of its bio-regional value-added cycle and has been brewing the unique Historic Emmer Beer from it since 2004. Since this year, the beer has also been available as a non-alcoholic version.
The award ceremony took place on November 20, 2024 in the Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten. After the welcoming address by Abbot Beda Maria Sonnenberg OSB and a speech by Hubert Bittlmayer, Head of the StMELF, the certificates were presented to the five winners of the last competition round. Bittlmayer considered the competition and the award-winning projects to be an important advertisement for the Bavarian organic seal. They made visible what Bavarian organic is all about: regional origin, top quality and trust. “For consumers, the seal signals: This is Bavarian organic from my home region - safe and of high quality,” said the head of the office.
Maximilian Krieger, Managing Director of Riedenburger Brauhaus, explained: “We are proud that our commitment to Altmühltaler Emmer has been recognized. This project shows how important it is to promote old grain varieties in a modern context in order to overcome climatic challenges while preserving tradition.” The Riedenburger Brauhaus was particularly pleased that the Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten was also among the winners. This award
underlines the close ties and joint commitment to ecological values and responsible shaping of the future.
The Riedenburger Brauhaus would like to thank its farmers, whose commitment and dedication made this project possible in the first place. They are the driving force behind the vision of reviving emmer as a sustainable ancient grain, preserving it for future generations and enriching Riedenburg beer with its unique taste.
