Colorado Malting Company Receives CWCB Award for Expansion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 WSRF grant builds on successes of the Rye Resurgence Project in San Luis Valley
Denver, Colorado — At their recent November board meeting, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) unanimously approved a $750,000 Water Supply Reserve Fund (WSRF) grant for Alamosa-based Colorado Malting Company to expand their malthouse capacity. The award marks a significant milestone in the Rye Resurgence Project’s efforts to build the market for San Luis Valley rye with craft partners after project grantees were awarded a Water Plan Grant in late 2023.
Prior to the board’s vote, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District Manager and Rye Resurgence Project co-founder Heather Dutton spoke to the impact of CWCB’s support for the project and a shifting paradigm in how we connect water, agriculture, and community health.
“The Basin Plan and the Colorado Water Plan acknowledge how vibrant communities and robust agriculture are inextricably linked,” she said. “This project is a great example of the water community stepping alongside our agriculture community and saying we’re not going to expect farmers to absorb all the risk…we are going to help build the supply chain so that farmers can continue to adapt and they can have options.”
Jason Cody, a farmer and co-owner of Colorado Malting Company, and Dutton’s father, a retired San Luis Valley farmer, both made the long journey to the Denver board meeting. As she spoke, Dutton referenced her father’s 40 years of farming experience, stating that when it comes to crop switching as a water conservation tool, he could speak to many different low-water use crops that he and his neighbors had tried but had not continued to grow because there wasn’t a market.
The malting company expansion ties into current efforts in the San Luis Valley to build markets and value-added supply chains for low-water use crops as an opportunity to support growers as they adapt to climate change. “When we keep farmers farming,” Dutton said, “we keep rural communities intact – communities like those in the San Luis Valley that, while a small percentage of Colorado’s population, contribute 39% of our state’s agricultural economy.”
Before unanimously approving the WSRF grant to the Colorado Malting Company, CWCB Directors offered kudos to Dutton and Cody, the Rye Resurgence Project team, and project partners on their innovative efforts in the basin. “Ultimately when we’re taking care of the soil, we’re finding ways to save water and we’re working together for our local communities,” stated Director Paul Bruchez of Grand County.
The Colorado Malting Company, one of the first craft malt houses in the nation, now begins expansion to accommodate demand for the high-alpine rye grown in the San Luis Valley. “We’re honored to receive this award from the CWCB and proud to be partners in the Rye Resurgence Project,” Jason Cody said. “It’s testament to the hard work of our rural communities adapting to changing times, and to the state’s recognition of how supporting local agriculture and local businesses will sustain us into the future.”
More information about the Rye Resurgence Project and Rye Resurgence Craft Partners can be found at ryeresurgence.com. More information about the Colorado Malting Company can be found at coloradomaltingcompany.com.
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The Malt Barn at the Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa, CO.
