Proximity Malt

What Proximity Malt does

Proximity Malt is a US private craft maltster founded in 2015 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating two regional full-scale malthouses in Monte Vista, Colorado and Laurel, Delaware with a combined production capacity of 50,000 metric tons per year. The company produces base malts, specialty malts, roasted malts, and wheat, rye and oat malts for craft brewers, craft distillers, food ingredient manufacturers and home brewers, with sales delivered in bulk, totes or bags through regional field-sales teams. Its portfolio is anchored by two trademarked branded platforms: ReGenMalt, an identity-preserved climate-smart regenerative barley program with third-party-verified environmental data, and Flava-malt, a novel malted wheat powder designed as a post-fermentation flavor delivery system.

Proximity's production technology centers on advanced full-scale malting and roasting facilities, including a Continuous Coil roaster described as the first of its kind in North America, supported by an Innovation Center in Milwaukee for recipe development and custom product work with customers. The business model combines one-time product sales of malt with grain contracting, procurement, storage and processing services integrated with the malt supply. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; products are sold direct through regional sales managers covering the Mountain Southwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and central US territories.

The company is privately held and was launched with $60 million of private equity financing from NGP Global Agribusiness Partners in October 2015, with production commencing at both facilities in 2017. The leadership team and broader bench draw heavily from incumbents Malteurop, Cargill Malt, Briess Malt, Great Western Malting, Anheuser-Busch and Boston Beer. Strategic partnerships include AMBA, Virginia Tech, Montana State and Breun on barley breeding, Hop Head Farms on a joint malt-plus-hops channel, and a network of regenerative farmer partners for the ReGenMalt program.

Name

Proximity Malt

Legal name

Proximity Malt LLC

Website

https://proximitymalt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Proximity Malt is a US craft maltster operating two regional malthouses in Colorado and Delaware with 50,000 MT/year combined capacity, producing base, specialty and roasted malts for craft brewers, distillers and food ingredient customers, with differentiated ReGenMalt and Flava-malt branded platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing Malt Production

NAICS

Malt Manufacturing (311213), Flour Milling and Malt Manufacturing (31121), Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning) (115114)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Malting Barley Production (Brewing/Distilling Supply) (AFAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD), Grain Blending & Segregation (Identity-Preserved/Non-GMO) (AFAOAAAG)

Keywords

• Craft brewing malt
• Specialty malt production
• Regional malting facilities
• Roasted grains supplier
• Regenerative agriculture malt

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Malt Product Sales: Sale of premium base malts, specialty malts, and roasted malts to craft brewers, distillers, and food ingredient customers. Products available in bulk, totes, or bags.
2. Grain Contracting and Procurement Services: Services for grain contracting and procurement, storage, transfers and processing integrated with malt supply for customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Proximity Malt operates full-scale regional malting facilities in Monte Vista, Colorado and Laurel, Delaware, producing a comprehensive portfolio of base malts, specialty malts, roasted malts, wheat, rye, and oat malts for craft brewers, distillers, and food ingredient customers. The company sources locally-grown premium grains and employs advanced malting and roasting technology, including a Continuous Coil roaster and an Innovation Center for custom product development. Branded offerings include ReGenMalt (climate-smart regenerative malt) and Flava-malt (a novel malted wheat powder flavor delivery system).

Product overview

Proximity Malt is a physical malt production company offering a comprehensive portfolio of base malts, specialty malts, roasted malts, wheat malts, rye malts, and oat malts for craft brewers, distillers, and food ingredient customers. The company's product line is anchored by its innovative branded products: ReGenMalt (climate-smart malt from regeneratively grown grains with third-party verified environmental impact data) and Flava-malt (a novel malted wheat powder flavor delivery system). The core portfolio includes over 50 distinct malt products ranging from standard base malts to crystal, roasted, wheat, rye, and oat varieties, all available in bulk, totes, or bags. The company operates regional malthouses in Colorado and Delaware, emphasizing locally sourced grains and sustainable production practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReGenMalt: Climate-smart malt made from regeneratively grown grains, identity-preserving quantifiable benefits of regenerative practices
• Flava-malt

Products and services

• Base Malt Standard base malt for brewing applications, providing the foundation of malt character in beer recipes. Available in bulk, totes, or bags for craft brewers, distillers, and food ingredient customers.
• Pilsen Malt Premium Pilsen-style malt sourced from European-origin malting barleys like Genie and Violetta, offering consistently lower protein and moderate FAN characteristics for true-to-style pilsner production.
• Pale Ale Malt Specialty malt ideal for pale ale and other hop-forward beer styles.
• Distillers Malt Malt specifically produced for distilling applications, formulated for craft distillers producing whiskey and other spirits.
• Munich 10 Malt Munich-style malt providing rich malt flavor and amber color to beer styles like Oktoberfest and Märzen.
• Vienna Malt Vienna-style malt offering mild malty sweetness and subtle color enhancement.
• Crystal Malts Full range of crystal malts (15, 20, 30, 40, 45, 60, 80, 120, 150) providing various levels of sweetness, caramel flavors, and color contributions from light to dark.
• Roasted Malts Range of roasted malts (Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Pale Chocolate, Black, Biscuit/Roasted 20, Prox Brown, Dextrin, Body Builder) providing various color, flavor, and body characteristics for darker beer styles.
• Wheat Malts Malted wheat products (Malted Wheat, Crystal Wheat, Chocolate Wheat, Mid-Atlantic Wheat Malt) for brewing wheat beers and other styles. Mid-Atlantic Wheat Malt is made from soft winter wheat grown on the Delmarva Peninsula.
• Rye Malts Malted rye products (Malted Rye, Crystal Rye, Chocolate Rye) contributing spice notes, mouthfeel, sweetness, and color to beer.
• Malted Oats Malted oats used for hazy beer styles and stouts, solving issues like stuck mashes, slow run-off, and blind filtration.
• ReGenMalt The first malt to identity-preserve the quantifiable benefits of using regenerative practices to grow barley at scale. Includes ReGenMalt Base Malt, Barley, Biscuit, Chocolate, and Crystal 15/45/60 variants. Provides craft brewers with detailed, third-party verified data on environmental impact, supports local communities, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Flava-malt A novel malted wheat powder designed as a flavor delivery vehicle. This dried, shelf-stable powder allows brewers to add fruit and other flavors post-fermentation, similar to dry-hopping, offering precise dosing and enhanced consistency.
• Prox Mild Malt Low-color malt for mild beer styles.
• Prox Red Malt Red-hued malt providing color and malt character for red beer styles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced logistics costs through regional proximity to craft brewers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 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 minor.

• Hop Head FarmscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 April 2018Joint marketing agreement between Proximity Malt and Hop Head Farms. Both companies serve the craft brewing community with similar commitment to quality, sustainability and customer service. Partnership provides craft brewers access to both malt and hops through one point of contact.
• American Malting Barley Association (AMBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProximity collaborates with AMBA and other supply chain partners through AMBA\'s facilitated environment for value chain members to create positive change. AMBA channels research funding and provides guidance to breeding programs.
• Virginia Tech Barley Breeding ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on developing new winter malting barley varieties adapted for Mid-Atlantic climate. Virginia Tech breeds varieties with disease resistance for challenging growing conditions in the region.
• Montana State University Barley Breeding ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through AMBA on barley breeding programs including the development of Buzz malting barley variety suited for dryland farming.
• Breun Breeding Program (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed Leandra barley variety from German breeding program, showing exceptional yield potential and drought tolerance for Mountain West region.
• Regenerative Farmer PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of regenerative agriculture farmers growing barley for ReGenMalt product line. Farmers receive support for transitioning to regenerative practices and help with on-farm trials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Great Western Malting: Long-established North American maltster (acquired by Cargill) producing base and specialty malts for brewing and distilling. Closely comparable to Proximity on product portfolio and customer base; VP of Operations Dave Kuske previously worked at Great Western Malting before joining Proximity.
• Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. Family-owned North American maltster specializing in craft brewing malts, specialty malts, and malted ingredients. Directly comparable to Proximity in product portfolio (base, specialty, roasted malts) and target customer base of craft brewers; the VP of Operations at Proximity was a former Briess employee.
• Rahr Malting: Family-owned North American maltster producing base and specialty malts for brewers and distillers. Comparable scale and product portfolio to Proximity; serves overlapping craft and traditional brewing customer base.
• Riverbend Malt House: East Coast craft malthouse producing regionally-sourced malt for craft brewers in the Southeast US. Closely comparable to Proximity's Mid-Atlantic operations in regional craft malting model, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Malteurop: World's largest maltster with North American operations producing base and specialty malts for brewers and distillers globally. Proximity's CEO Dale West and other founders came from Malteurop, and the regional, craft-focused model was specifically built as an alternative to Malteurop's centralized structure.
• Cargill Malt (Cargill Craft Malt Business Unit): Global agricultural giant with a dedicated Craft Malt Business Unit producing base and specialty malts. Directly comparable on craft segment; Proximity's Southeast sales lead David Poimboeuf spent 12 years at Cargill including 4 years leading the Cargill Craft Malt Business Unit.

Emerging players

• Grouse Malt House: Colorado-based craft malthouse serving craft brewers in the Mountain Southwest region. Directly overlaps with Proximity's Monte Vista, CO facility footprint and customer base — a local craft malt competitor.
• Skagit Valley Malting: Pacific Northwest craft malthouse producing regional craft malts for brewers and distillers. Comparable craft malt business model with regional sourcing focus, though serving a different geography than Proximity.

Regional players

• BSG Craftbrewing (Brewers Supply Group): Craft brewing ingredient distributor offering malt and adjuncts from multiple producers to craft brewers across North America. Comparable as an alternative malt sourcing channel for Proximity's target customers, including craft brewers and distillers.
• Country Malt Group: North American craft brewing ingredient distributor offering malt, hops, and adjuncts to craft brewers. Sells Proximity alongside competing malt brands; comparable distribution model reaching the same craft brewer customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/proximitymalt
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProximityMalt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proximity-malt
• Instagraminstagram.com/proximity.malt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Proximity Malt