What Root Shoot Malting does

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th-generation family farm and estate malthouse based in Loveland, Colorado, founded by Todd Olander in 2016 as the craft-focused spin-out of the Olander family's long-standing grain operation (the family has farmed in Colorado since 1887 and previously supplied malting barley to Coors and Budweiser). The company grows barley, wheat, rye, oats, and non-GMO corn on its own land and performs every step of malting — steeping, germination, and kilning — in-house at the same estate, selling the resulting base and specialty malts to craft brewers and distillers in 50-pound bags, 2,000-pound super sacks, and bulk orders, with unmalted grains available for distillers.

The product portfolio spans approximately 9 malt varieties (including Genie Pale, Genie Pilsner, Thunder Pilsner, Magic Pilsner, Buck 'Naked' Pilsner, English Pale Ale, Munich 10, Vienna, Cara Ruby, Honey, and others) plus unmalted heritage grains and a wholly-owned spirits subsidiary, Root Shoot Spirits, which produces American Single Malt Whiskey. Root Shoot is Colorado's only Tier 3 Regenified Certified malthouse, with regenerative farming practices verified through satellite imagery and long-term soil monitoring conducted in partnership with Downforce Technologies.

Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales to craft breweries and distillers (with a dedicated account manager and sales director), custom/toll malting services, and branded whiskey sales, supplemented by retail distribution through homebrew shops and online retailers. The company does not disclose pricing publicly. Strategic partnerships with New Belgium Brewing, Troubadour Maltings, and Zero Foodprint extend the business into climate-smart agriculture, collaborative malt development, and regenerative agriculture funding. The company is privately held by the Olander family with no external funding, employs 1-10 people, and conserves 112 acres of farmland in perpetuity.

Name

Root Shoot Malting

Legal name

Root Shoot Malting LLC

Website

https://rootshootmalting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th-generation family farm and estate malthouse in Loveland, Colorado, that grows and malts barley, wheat, rye, oats, and non-GMO corn on-site to supply craft brewers and distillers with premium, regeneratively-farmed Colorado malt.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Loveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Malt Sales: Primary revenue from selling barley, wheat, rye, oats, and non-GMO corn malt to craft brewers and distillers. Products sold in 50-pound bags, 2,000-pound super sacks, or bulk orders. They also sell unmalted grains for distilling purposes.
2. Custom Malting Services: Contract and toll malting services offered to customers who want to have their grain malted at the facility.
3. Whiskey/Spirits Production: Root Shoot Spirits produces American Single Malt Whiskey using their homegrown grain. 1% of whiskey sales goes to regenerative farming through Zero Foodprint.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th-generation family farm and estate malthouse that grows, malts, and delivers Colorado-grown barley, wheat, rye, oats, and non-GMO corn to craft brewers and distillers. Every step from soil to steeping, germinating, and kilning is handled in-house, producing base malts, specialty malts, and unmalted grains sold in 50-pound bags, 2,000-pound super sacks, or bulk orders. The company also operates Root Shoot Spirits, producing American Single Malt Whiskey from its estate-grown grains.

Product overview

Root Shoot Malting is a 5th-generation family farm and estate malthouse that supplies barley, wheat, rye, oats, and non-GMO corn to craft brewers and distillers. The company's product portfolio consists of: (1) Base Malts including Low Color Pilsner, Genie Pale, Genie Pilsner, Thunder Pilsner, Magic Pilsner, Buck 'Naked' Pilsner, Distillers Malt, Light Munich 4, English Pale Ale, and Malted White Wheat; (2) Specialty Malts including Buck Naked Chocolate, Cara Ruby, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Malted Oats, Malted Oland Wheat, Malted Rye, Malted Yellow Corn, Munich 10, Munich Wheat, and Vienna Malt; (3) Unmalted Grains including Oland Heritage Wheat, Rye, Non-GMO Corn, White Winter Wheat, Red Winter Wheat, and Barley; and (4) Root Shoot Spirits Whiskey (a separate brand offering American Single Malt Whiskey). Every bag is packaged by hand at their craft malthouse and available in 50 pound bags, 2,000 pound super sacks, or bulk order. The company grows, malts, and processes all grain on the same land, handling every step from soil to steeping, germinating, and kilning in-house.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Root Shoot Spirits: American Single Malt Whiskey and craft spirits produced using estate-grown grains from Root Shoot Malting. 1% of spirits sales go to support regenerative farming through Zero Foodprint.

Products and services

• Low Color Pilsner

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million pounds of barley harvested in 2025, enough to fuel approximately 1.5 years of malting operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• New Belgium BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Collaboration on climate-smart agriculture project using winter barley to demonstrate environmental benefits and potential market for climate-smart crops in brewing. Partnership includes case study work with Downforce Technologies to measure carbon sequestration and environmental impact of regenerative farming practices.
• Downforce TechnologiessupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2026Technology partnership for satellite imagery and soil monitoring to measure carbon sequestration capacity and environmental benefits of climate-smart barley growing practices in collaboration with New Belgium Brewing.
• Troubadour MaltingssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Buck Naked Chocolate malt - a Colorado malt collaboration where Root Shoot grows and malts the grain and Troubadour handles the roasting process to create bold, complex chocolate malt with deep roasted flavors.
• Zero FoodprintsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoot Shoot Spirits contributes 1% of whiskey sales directly to support regenerative farming through Zero Foodprint, connecting their spirits business to broader regenerative agriculture impact.
• Colorado Hop CompanysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Colorado ingredient supplier introduced through Elevated Fermentations homebrew shop, part of the local Colorado craft brewing ingredient ecosystem that Root Shoot supports.
• Inland Island YeastsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Colorado yeast supplier, part of the collaborative ecosystem of Colorado craft brewing ingredient providers that includes Colorado Hop Company and Root Shoot Malting.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Troubadour Maltings: Colorado-based craft malthouse that collaborates with Root Shoot on Buck Naked Chocolate malt. Troubadour focuses on artisan roasting and specialty malt production for craft brewers and distillers in the same regional market.
• Colorado Malting Company: Colorado craft malthouse producing malted barley and other grains for craft breweries and distillers. Operates in the same geography and targets overlapping customer segments with a similar estate-grown positioning.
• Riverbend Malt House: North Carolina craft malthouse supplying locally-grown, terroir-driven malts to East Coast craft breweries. Direct peer in craft malt category with comparable production model and customer profile, though in a different regional market.
• Admiral Maltings: California-based craft malthouse producing estate-style specialty and base malts for craft brewers. Operates on a similar vertically integrated model, though at a larger commercial scale, serving a comparable craft beer customer base on the West Coast.

Broad incumbents

• Rahr Malting: Major industrial maltster with broad base malt and specialty offerings for both craft and large brewing customers. Provides the commodity-scale benchmark that frames Root Shoot's premium, estate-grown positioning.
• Great Western Malting: One of the largest North American malt producers, supplying both craft and large commercial brewers with a broad malt portfolio. Represents the incumbent, scale-driven alternative that Root Shoot competes against for craft brewer malt contracts.
• Briess Malt & Ingredients: Long-established US maltster producing a wide range of malts for brewing and food customers. Competes with Root Shoot across base and specialty malt categories for craft brewer share, with much broader distribution and product breadth.
• Weyermann Malting: German malt producer with deep specialty malt portfolio widely used by craft brewers worldwide. A global incumbent whose specialty malt range competes for the same recipes and applications that Root Shoot targets.
• Cargill Malt: Global agricultural and malt supplier with significant North American malt capacity. Serves as the large-scale competitive benchmark in malt sourcing for craft and large brewers alike.

Regional players

• Skagit Valley Malting: Pacific Northwest craft malthouse producing terroir-driven, farm-identity malts for craft brewers and distillers. Comparable vertically integrated model and craft-segment focus, but operating in Washington State rather than Colorado.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rootshootmalt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbW0lNJBOwNIh-HU0I7Yqng
• Facebookfacebook.com/rootshootmalting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/root-shoot-malting
• Instagraminstagram.com/rootshootmalting

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Root Shoot Malting