Pigs help beer brewers do circular business

In Stein, Limburg, lies Brouwerij de Fontein, one of the smallest independent breweries in the Netherlands. At the helm are two graduated food technologists, Rik and Lonneke Brouns. Sustainability is an important aspect of their business, so they focus on the short chain and are constantly looking for ways to do circular business. The latter recently meant the arrival of ten Tamworth pigs.

High-quality food

Where beer is brewed, brew is left over. These bits of grain left over after the brewing process used to go by truck to bakers or farmers, but are now eaten by the brewery's own ten pigs. The animals were picked up from specialized breeders across the country. "An English breed, with DNA similar to that of our wild boar. They are friendly to walkers, can stay outside when it's very cold, but also when it's hot, and don't need a barn. A shelter is enough," says Lonneke Brouns in an interview with De Limburger. For the pigs, the brine is high-quality food full of fiber and protein. The brewery limits many transportation kilometers by giving this residual stream to the new residents.

Circle of life

The pigs themselves eventually end up on the menu of the brewery's brasserie. According to Brouns, not all visitors are happy about that, but it fits with Fontein's approach. "It is the circle of life, but in an animal-friendly way. They have a very good life here. And every year there are new ones". In the brewing process, too, the entrepreneurs look at their immediate environment. "We have bees, vegetables and fruit in the garden. Blossom, herbs, raspberries and honey we use all in our beers. Why get something from far away when you have it at your fingertips?"

Source: De Limburger and Brouwerij de Fontein