Celebrating Over 34 Years of Legacy: Muntons Bids Fond Farewell to Chairman Paul Wells

After over 34 years of service, Paul Wells, Muntons Chairman, is stepping down. Paul joined as a director in 1990 and became Chairman in 2013, overseeing decades of growth.

Within that period, Muntons expanded from two to four sites (including one in Thailand), now sells in 60 countries, and nearly tripled production from 90,000 to 250,000 tonnes.

Paul reflects, “Looking back over the years, I feel proud of having played a part in the growth of an exceptional company. Always a private company – starting with the founding families more than one hundred years ago – Muntons has forged a steady path of building business across the world and investing profits back for future growth."

"Over half the UK’s private sector businesses are family-owned and it is their resilience and patient capital that underpins the UK economy. Muntons is a leading example of the way businesses can benefit all stakeholders and communities.”

“It almost goes without saying that there are too many people to thank individually,” continues Paul. “But I should like to mention the managing directors during my time at Muntons; Andrew Shelley, Gerald Prior, Alan Ridealgh and Mark Tyldesley. We would not be the company we are today without their strong leadership and vision, which Mark continues to demonstrate.”

Mark Tyldesley, Muntons Group Managing Director, adds, “Paul’s departure marks the end of an era, his influence, leadership and strategic vision have been instrumental in shaping Muntons into the successful, forward-thinking company it is today. As he concludes his remarkable tenure, and on behalf of the entire team, we extend our deepest gratitude and best wishes for his well-earned retirement. On a personal note, I am deeply grateful for his mentorship and support over the past eight years. His wisdom will be greatly missed, but his impact will be felt for years to come.”

Current Board member Chris Thomas, a Chartered Engineer with a strong track record of successful leadership in the food and dairy sectors, who has been serving as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director since June 2023, will be nominated as new Muntons Chairman. Chris has extensive experience of high growth situations in major food businesses and leading multinationals including PepsiCo, Mars, Tulip UK, and St. Ivel. “With a wealth of experience as both a Chair and Non-Exec Director, we are confident that Chris will continue to drive the business forward, strengthening Muntons for the years ahead,” says Mark.

Additionally, Nick Wells will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director in April, bringing valuable experience to complement our existing leadership team, ensuring further representation of the Wells family within Muntons alongside the current Non-Executive Director Peter Wells.

 

Malt manufacturer makes green investment following support from HSBC UK

An innovative malt grain manufacturer, headquartered in Suffolk, is accelerating progress on its sustainability goals by becoming one of the first recipients of HSBC UK’s Sustainability Improvement Facility.

Muntons PLC secured an £83.8 million funding package from HSBC UK, which has allowed the business to invest further in its sustainability initiatives.

The funding from HSBC UK will be used to support cash flow as well as future sustainability projects, including an extensive regenerative agriculture programme, which, at trial, has generated up to a 95 per cent reduction in emissions.

HSBC UK’s Sustainability Improvement Facility is designed to help businesses transition to a more sustainable economy by linking their cost of capital to their EcoVadis Sustainability Rating.

Muntons already has a EcoVadis Gold rating, placing the business in the top five per cent of sustainable companies, assessed by EcoVadis, in the world.

Kate Dixon, Head of Sustainability, Innovation and Marketing at Muntons, said: “Our journey towards sustainability is far from over, but we have already made great progress thanks to the support of HSBC UK. Having received the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, which recognises our outstanding efforts in reducing environmental impact throughout our supply chain, this funding reaffirms our commitment to sustainable practices and also provides us with the necessary capital to expand both domestically and internationally."

Kirsty Johnson, Client Director at HSBC UK, added: “Muntons’ evidenced approach to practical change is inspiring, and it’s brilliant to see the business’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint whilst also driving growth.”

Muntons set science-based targets in 2015 to reduce its onsite emissions by 45 per cent – which it met in 2022 - and emissions from growing of malting barley by 30 per cent by 2025.

Muntons has also created ingredient innovations such as Maltichoc, that can replace up to 25% of cocoa powder in recipes with 96 per cent less carbon footprint.

Muntons has pledged to continue achieving zero waste to landfill and has further plans to reach carbon net zero by 2030.

The company is family-owned, with plants in Stowmarket and Bridlington. It supplies world-class malt and malted ingredients for the global food and drink industry. The firm employs over 250 staff in the UK and another 70 internationally.

WeCycle Day To Promote Environmental Protection & Sustainability 

On Wednesday, 11th September 2024, our Management Team from the MITL site in Thailand participated in a community clean-up drive, collecting litter from nearby areas to ensure that recyclable materials were properly sorted and disposed of. The WHA Project WeCycle is an inspiring initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable waste management and recycling practices and aims to enhance the quality of the environment in local communities with a focus on upcycling used PET bottles and water hyacinth from WHA’s wastewater treatment systems to create new, useful products like school bags. 

The WHA Project WeCycle demonstrates how corporate initiatives can significantly contribute to supporting our local environment with the collective effort reducing plastic waste as well as raising environmental awareness within the local community. By reducing plastic waste and the reuse of materials, the project contributes to environmental protection to help mitigate pollution. 

All in all, the event was a great success with a shared commitment to positively impacting our local environment. The clean-up drive highlighted the power of collaboration and the positive outcomes we can achieve when we unite for a common cause. Our Thailand team’s participation in the WHA Project WeCycle not only contributed to a cleaner environment but also reinforced our own commitment to corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

 

      

Ultra Processed Foods (UPF)

 

What is UPF?

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Muntons Maltichoc Dried Regular is a sustainable cocoa power alternative without impacting the quality of product application

With the cocoa price skyrocketing in recent times, the market is desperately looking for a solution – and Muntons Maltichoc Dried Regular is a proving a sustainable alternative without impacting the quality of any product application.

In recent years, we have seen that cocoa bean production is in an overall decline with cocoa prices surging to the highest in 46 years. The cocoa prices have increased due to the poor harvests in West Africa, which produces the bulk of global supply. The El Niño weather phenomenon has been causing drier weather in Ghana and on the Ivory Coast, which are the world's two biggest producers of cocoa beans. Total cocoa production has decreased by 5% from 2020 – 2023 and consequently, the cocoa market faces price increases whilst stocks continue to dwindle.

As we see consumer demand increase at a disproportionate rate, prices are rising in reaction to a tight market for cocoa beans. The chocolate industry, which consumed 43% of all cocoa in 2017, had a retail market value of USD 106.19 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow to USD 189.89 billion by 2026.

We’re proud to embrace change head on but we don’t just welcome new methods and better ways of doing things, we discover them for ourselves too. In the past few years, our focus has been on launching new ingredient ranges which offer a more environmentally friendly alternative for food development. We’ve worked with some of the largest food and drink producers in the world to develop new ingredient solutions that don’t compromise on flavour or colour.

At Muntons, our innovation centres enable us to pro-actively support customer product developments and Maltichoc is the ideal solution to replace typically 25% of cocoa in product formulation. A blend of malted ingredients can emulate the flavour characteristics of cocoa powders and even enhances rich chocolate notes, making it a suitable alternative or partial replacement for cocoa.

Maintaining product quality is essential for our innovations, but equally important is producing a sustainable solution. Cocoa growing is responsible for the majority of chocolate production’s greenhouse gas emissions; 1kg of cocoa emits 23kg of carbon dioxide on average worldwide. When comparing this to Maltichoc Dried Regular which emits just 1.2kg of carbon dioxide per 1kg of product, our solution is not only price stable but also maintains product quality and radically improves the impact on the environment.

Click here to order a sample today and see the benefits for yourself.

ANDREW REEVES JOINS MUNTONS AS GENERAL MANAGER OF ASIA PACIFIC

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Reeves as General Manager for Asia Pacific, leading the production, sales and technical operations in the region.

With over two decades of experience in leadership positions within the food and beverage industry, and over 15 years’ experience in APAC markets, Andrew brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with a proven track record of delivering consistent and strategic growth – most notably in recent positions at Essentia Protein Solution and Monde Nissin Singapore.

Speaking on his new role, Andrew said "Muntons have a reputation for quality, innovation and world leading sustainability and I am delighted to be joining the team.  Muntons has a fantastic range of clean label ingredients that add real value to our customers products and bring joy to consumers. I’m excited by the potential of our regional innovation team’s ability to react quickly in the market, developing new solutions and ideas for our customers. I’m looking forward to getting started in the role, meeting the Muntons team and developing relationships with our customers."

Muntons Group Managing Director, Mark Tyldesley, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew to the team. The knowledge and experience that he brings will be invaluable to our business in Asia, further developing the relationships we have with our customers and driving growth in the region”.

Muntons welcomed Andrew to the team on 1st July 2024.

SUFFOLK-BASED MUNTONS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM THE KING FOR PIONEERING COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Muntons has been honoured with a prestigious King’s Award for Sustainable Development, recognising its excellence in world leading sustainability initiatives.

The Suffolk-based malting company who supplies products to the into the food & soft drinks, brewing and distilling industries. The award recognises the monumental efforts taken to reduce their environmental impact both up- and downstream supply chain, including farms growing barley.

The company has worked closely with its suppliers and clients to encourage further improvement in the wider food and drink industry, launching a new Sustainable Supplier Programme to educate their partners on how to make greener choices.

Within their own processes Muntons have two biomass energy centres, located at each of their UK malting facilities, a focus on energy efficiency and generation has enabled Muntons to be resilient in the turbulent energy market. It has cut carbon emissions radically in the past three years and will be net zero by 2030. It has been an early adopter of sustainable practices: introducing circular economy gains (especially in re-use of spent ingredients) and lowering the environmental impact of its main ingredient, barley.

Group Managing Director Mark Tyldesley commented on this impressive achievement: "We are immensely proud to have been given the King’s Award for Sustainable Development in 2024. It is a testament to the work we have done for many years to challenge what is possible in our industry to make a real difference on sustainability. We take pride in the actions we have taken so far, not only reducing our own carbon emissions, but helping our suppliers and customers achieve their goals too, as well as sharing what we have done within our industry. There is still more we can do, and we’re excited about what is to come. Every member of the Muntons team will take pride in this award, with everyone playing their role in delivering our vision of a sustainable future”.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise, previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, were renamed last year to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Award programme, now in its 58th year, is the most prestigious business award in the country, with successful businesses able to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years. Applications for King’s Awards for Enterprise 2025 open on His Majesty The King’s Coronation, 6th May 2024 For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/kingsawards-for-enterprise.

MUNTONS, NORTHERN MONK, AND TOAST BREWING CELEBRATE EARTH DAY 2024 WITH UNIQUE BEER COLLABORATION

Muntons, Northern Monk and Toast teamed up to brew a low carbon beer using regenerative grain and surplus bread to celebrate Earth Day 2024.

Using regenerative barley from Muntons, and fresh, surplus bread supplied by Toast, this 5.0% Pale Ale, One for the Earth, commemorates Earth Day, an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

60% of the grain bill is Regenerative Agriculture malt from a single farm in Yorkshire, a farming process which helps improve soil quality and biodiversity and through Munton’s low carbon production is some of the lowest carbon footprint malt in the world. Combined with 10% of the grain bill, which is from surplus bread product that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Brewed with Toast who turn leftover loaves to liquid gold, and Muntons Malt suppliers, who are recognised globally as leaders in sustainability, the beer is made with a portion of rye malt, alongside bread crumb, for a golden hue and an earthy, spicy depth alongside the usual mouthfeel-boosting properties of flaked oats.

Kate Dixon, Head of Sustainability, Marketing & Innovation, said: “It's exciting to see a product come to life that embraces our commitment to sustainability from seed to sip, and celebrates the power of strong partnerships.

“We've worked closely with Graham Potter, a passionate grower in Yorkshire to produce the lowest possible carbon barley that has been processed in our low carbon maltings. Working closely with Northern Monk and Toast Brewing who are equally as passionate about the planet makes this is a collaboration we are truly proud of!"

Ciaran Shier, Northern Monk’s Positive Impact Director, said: “The concept for One for the Earth first started last year when we were given the opportunity by our malt supplier, Muntons, to procure regenerative agriculture malt from a single pioneering farm near our home in Yorkshire. Having learned about the positive impact regen agriculture has on soil health, biodiversity and carbon emissions we jumped at the opportunity to bring some into our supply chain.

“Earth Day presented us with an ideal opportunity to brew our first beer with this malt but we wanted to take it one step further by combining it with an abundant food waste – bread. So we reached out to the experts at Toast for their advice and they helped bring the concept to reality.

“We are very mindful of our environmental impact and are on a mission we call Faith in Futures to improve our positive impact on the planet which includes being carbon neutral in our direct emissions by 2030. Collaborating with two other like-minded businesses in Muntons and Toast Ale to produce One for the Earth is an exciting step for the Faith in Futures project by exploring what is possible in producing a beer that’s better for the planet.”

First held in 1970, Earth Day now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earthday.org involving more than 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.

Hopped with Citra, Bru-1 for distinct pineapple notes and a touch of the distinctive Sabro for a hint of tropical flavours, the beer was released on Earth Day 2024.

One for the Earth will be available from northernmonk.com, Northern Monk Refectories in Leeds and Manchester, toastbrewing.com, Good Company Tap Café in London and usual independent stockists.

Muntons clinches 3rd gold in recognition of their sustainability efforts at RMI Conference Brewing Supply Awards 2024

Muntons has been honoured with the coveted Gold Award for Maltsters under c.350t per annum at the RMI Conference Brewing Supply Awards in Rome. This achievement, announced on March 7, 2024, showcases Muntons' commitment to sustainability and innovation within the global brewing supply chain. 

The awards are regarded as a benchmark for excellence in the brewing supply industry, celebrating companies that set the standard for quality and environmental leadership.  

Muntons has earned recognition for its holistic and tangible sustainability commitment.  "Our dedication to sustainability runs through the heart of our business. We drive results by collaborating and empowering change right across the supply chain, from seed to sip" said Kate Dixon, Muntons Head of Sustainability. "By investing heavily in sustainable practices, we are able to offer our customers one of the lowest carbon malts in the world.” The award celebrated just some of the sustainability achievements from Muntons over the course of the past two years alone: 

"Winning Gold at the RMI Conference is a testament to our relentless drive for sustainability," affirmed Mark Tyldesley, Muntons Group Managing Director. "We take pride in leading by example, showing the world that it is possible to marry operational success with environmental responsibility. This award belongs to every member of the Muntons team for playing their role in delivering our vision of a sustainable future." 

 To see a summary of our 2023 sustainability achievements, click the link below. 

Muntons named SIBA Sustainable Business at BeerX UK

Muntons were announced winners of the SIBA Sustainable Business award on Wednesday 13th March at this year’s BeerX UK event.

The award recognises businesses that take the ethics of environmental awareness and sustainable business operation way beyond the norm and minimise environmental impact.

The award celebrated just some of the sustainability achievements from Muntons over the course of the past two years alone:

 

Andrew Leedham, Senior Marketing Manager, commented “We are delighted to have won this years Sustainable Business award. It’s exciting to see just how far not only we have come but the whole industry. We’re passionate about malt, driven by sustainability and dedicated to a better future, working together all the way.”

The SIBA Business Awards are judged by a panel of independent beer industry experts, and organised by not-for-profit trade association the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates. The awards cover everything from marketing, design and innovation to efforts to make businesses more sustainable or impactful.

The SIBA Business Awards 2024 were presented on Wednesday 13th March at BeerX UK in Liverpool by acclaimed beer author, journalist, broadcaster and consultant Pete Brown. Named British Guild of Beer Writers’ “Beer Writer of the Year” in 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2021, Pete has won three Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, been shortlisted twice for the Andre Simon Awards, and in 2020 was named an “Industry Legend” at the Imbibe Hospitality Awards.