The initiative will see almost half of the malted barley used across Heineken’s entire portfolio, including Heineken, Birra Moretti, Foster’s and Cruzcampo, move to regenerative practices by 2027.
This marks a major step in Heineken’s strategy to support the transition and make regenerative farming part of mainstream beer production.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on farming methods designed to improve soil health, retain carbon in the soil, support biodiversity, enhance water management and build resilience against climate change.
Heineken UK said that practices will be bespoke to each farmer based on the regenerative methods they already have in place and what best suits their land.
Farmers will be directly paid a premium on regenerative barley yields, which aims to help to reduce the risk of them changing farming practices and making the transition commercially viable.
The brewer is working in partnership with maltsters Muntons and Boortmalt, barley merchants Cefetra, and independent agronomists Soil Capital, to adopt the agriculture practices at scale.
The programme will focus on barley-growing regions across much of England and Scotland, including East Anglia, East Midlands, Southeast and the Southwest, Fife and the Scottish Borders.
Sonia Thimmiah, Corporate Affairs Director, Heineken UK, said: “British malting barley is at the heart of some of the UK’s best-loved beers, so making it more resilient for the future matters. This programme is about working with partners to make regenerative agriculture practical, scalable and commercially viable by strengthening soils and helping farms stay fit for the future.
“It is also an important contribution to Heineken’s global Brew a Better World strategy and aims to protect water and nature as well as reduce carbon emissions.”
The programme uses Soil Capital’s independent measurement, reporting and verification, providing , farm-level data on key outcomes to ensure transparency and credibility, with progress to be tracked over time.
Soil Capital will work closely with farmers to provide expert advice as they transition to regenerative practices, measuring the impact of the new methods on more than 30 indicators, including soil health, increased biodiversity and water management.
Heineken UK brews over 1.3 billion pints of beer every year and supplying 80% of UK pubs. Over 95% of the beer sold is brewed on home soil.
The first yield is due to be harvested in 2026, brewed and served to consumers in 2027.
