Viking Malt
Viking Malt is a Northern European malting company operating six production facilities across five countries, producing classic, organic, specialty, and smoked malts, plus the proprietary Sprau® malted faba bean, for breweries and distillers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1880
- HeadquartersHalmstad, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Viking Malt does
Viking Malt is one of the world's leading malting companies, producing classic, organic, special, and smoked malts for breweries and distillers globally. The company operates six malting plants across five Northern European countries — Finland (Lahti, HQ and main malting plant), Poland (Sierpc and Strzegom), Lithuania (Panevėžys), Denmark (Vordingborg), and Sweden (Halmstad) — and ranks as the 9th largest malting company globally and 5th largest in Europe. Its core technology is the traditional malting process (steeping, germination, and kilning) of barley and other grains, augmented by proprietary or acquired capabilities including the BoMill InSight™ optical grain sorting technology deployed in Lithuania and the Sprau® malted faba bean ingredient originally developed for the plant-based food sector and now expanding into brewing. The company is privately held and operates as a subsidiary of the Finnish conglomerate Polttimo Group, with wholly-owned operating subsidiaries in each country.
Viking Malt's business model centers on one-time sales of malt products to brewers (craft and industrial) and distillers (primarily whisky), sold directly from its malt sites and through a global network of distribution partners covering 20+ countries. It also offers contract malting for brewer-specific specifications and provides pilot brewery, laboratory, recipe, and digital library services that support customer co-development. Customer concentration is anchored by an enterprise partnership with Carlsberg Group (15,000 tonnes of regenerative barley from 50+ Danish farmers for approximately 100 million liters of beer) and supplemented by a long tail of mid-market craft brewers such as Flying Couch Brewing, Põhjala Brewery, and Polish craft accounts reached through distributor Browamator.
The company holds multi-site certifications including FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, plus Organic, Kosher, Halal, and EcoVadis ratings, and is committed to the UN-led Science Based Targets initiative for value-chain carbon reduction. Recent strategic moves include the BoMill InSight™ technology acquisition, the Carlsberg regenerative barley partnership, the expansion of Sprau® into brewing, and a 'Fit for the Future' leadership training program spanning 40+ managers across countries under a 'One Viking Malt' integration framework.
Viking Malt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Viking Malt
- Legal name
- Viking Malt
- Website
- https://vikingmalt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1880
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Viking Malt is a Northern European malting company operating six production facilities across five countries, producing classic, organic, specialty, and smoked malts, plus the proprietary Sprau® malted faba bean, for breweries and distillers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Viking Malt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Malt and Brewing Ingredients
- NAICS
- Malt Manufacturing (311213)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Malting Barley Production (Brewing/Distilling Supply) (AFAGAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brewing & Distilling Enzymes (AFAJAIAD), Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Viking Malt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Halmstad
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Viking Malt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Malt Product Sales: Viking Malt generates revenue primarily through the sale of malt products — including Classic, Organic, Special, and Smoked malts — to breweries and distilleries worldwide. Products are sold directly from malt sites and via global distribution partners. The company also serves as a contract malter for brewer-specific specifications.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Viking Malt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Viking Malt produces and supplies a portfolio of malt products — Classic, Organic, Special, and Smoked malts — manufactured through steeping, germination, and kilning of barley and other grains at six production facilities across five Northern European countries. The company also offers the proprietary Sprau® malted faba bean ingredient and supports customers with pilot brewery and laboratory services for product development and customization. Its products are sold to breweries (industrial and craft) and distilleries worldwide, both directly and through a global partner network.
Product overview
Viking Malt is one of the world's leading malting companies offering a portfolio of malt products including Brewer's Classic (base malts), Brewer's Organic (certified organic malts), Brewer's Special (speciality malts for various beer styles), and Smoked Special (smoked malts). The company has expanded into innovative ingredients such as Sprau® (malted faba bean) and specialty offerings like CaraBody and Oat malts. Beyond products, Viking Malt provides supporting services including pilot brewery and laboratory services, recipe development resources, and a digital library for brewers. The company operates malting facilities across five countries (Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, Sweden) serving global brewing and distilling customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sprau: Malted faba bean product developed for plant-based food sector and brewing applications, offering enhanced mouthfeel, foam quality, and balanced flavor profiles.
Products and services
- Brewer's Classic Base malts for brewing, high in enzymic power and pale in colour, with malty, nutty, and green flavor notes; can be combined with special selection malts and adjuncts to design any beer type. For breweries (craft and industrial) as the foundation malt in beer production.
- Brewer's Organic Organic malt for organic brews produced without pesticides or artificial fertilizers; carefully selected lots from tested malting barley varieties suitable for organic cultivation, retaining the same primary malt characters as non-organic counterparts. For breweries producing certified organic beer.
- Brewer's Special Specialty malts offering brewmasters a full selection for designing Pils, IPA, NEIPA, Sours, or any other brew; typically low or nil in enzymic power, with flavors ranging from cereal notes of Munich malt to coffee aromas of Chocolate malt. For craft and specialty breweries seeking differentiation.
- Smoked Special Smoked malts for product differentiation, with raw materials subject to the same acceptance procedures as all other malts; smoked with novel equipment and technique using peat or wood as smoke origin. For breweries seeking unique taste profiles and smoky character.
- Sprau® Malted Faba Bean Trademarked malted faba bean ingredient (Sprau®) that enhances mouthfeel, foam quality, and contributes to a well-balanced flavor profile in beer; originally developed for the plant-based food sector and now entering brewing applications. For craft brewers and food producers seeking alternative plant-based and functional ingredients.
- Viking CaraBody Malt Cara body malt designed for enhanced mouthfeel and body in beer applications. For brewers seeking to improve beer body and texture.
- Viking Oat Malt Oat malt for brewing applications. For brewers seeking oat-based specialty malt options.
- Pilot Brewery & Laboratory Services Pilot brewery and laboratory services for product testing, quality assurance, and application-specific customization of malt products. For brewers and distillers seeking collaborative product development and technical support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 15,000 tonnes of regenerative barley sourced from 50+ Danish farmers for ~100 million liters of beer through Carlsberg partnership
Companies that use Viking Malt
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Viking Malt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Viking Malt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- BrowamatorminorBrowamator is a Polish distributor of Viking Malt products that co-hosted a craft brewer training session titled 'In the World of Malt and Hops' at Viking Malt's Strzegom malt house.
- Yakima Chief Hops®minorYakima Chief Hops®, a hop supplier, co-hosted the craft brewer training event at Viking Malt's Strzegom malt house alongside distributor Browamator, creating a cross-ingredient knowledge-sharing day for malt, hops, and brewing expertise.
- Flying Couch BrewingminorViking Malt collaborated with Flying Couch Brewing in Copenhagen to develop FABALOUS, a 6.0% ABV NEIPA brewed with Sprau malted faba bean. The collaboration demonstrates Sprau's brewing application potential and showcases modern beer style innovation.
- Hanken & SSE Executive EducationminorViking Malt partnered with Hanken & SSE Executive Education to deliver its year-long 'Fit for the Future' Leadership Training Program, with over 40 Viking Malt managers participating to strengthen leadership capabilities and cross-country collaboration.
- BoMill ABcoreBoMill AB, a Swedish company, developed the BoMill InSight™ grain sorting technology acquired by Viking Malt. The patented optical sorting technology has been installed at Viking Malt's Panevėžys, Lithuania facility to enhance raw material quality and support smarter malt production. The method is estimated to have potential to become a Golden Standard within the grain sorting industry.
- Carlsberg GroupcoreViking Malt serves as a commercial partner to Carlsberg Group's regenerative barley sourcing program in Denmark. Under the partnership, Viking Malt contracts up to 15,000 tonnes of regenerative barley from over 50 Danish farmers for approximately 100 million liters of beer production. This is part of Carlsberg's Together Towards ZERO sustainability programme targeting 30% regenerative sourcing by 2030.
- DLG (Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab)coreDLG is a Danish agricultural cooperative partner in the regenerative barley supply chain alongside Viking Malt and Carlsberg, providing grain procurement and agricultural expertise for the 50+ farmer network supplying the regenerative barley program.
- YARAminorViking Malt collaborates with YARA to develop new methods for optimizing fertilizer use to achieve lower carbon footprints for malting barley. Findings directly benefit Viking Malt's farmer network and ultimately customers seeking lower-carbon malt.
- Cool Farm AllianceminorViking Malt uses the Cool Farm Tool as part of its sustainability measurement toolkit for farmers, aligning with industry-standard farm-level environmental impact measurement.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Viking Malt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IREKS: German specialty malt and baking ingredients producer with a broad specialty malt portfolio serving craft and industrial brewers. Closely comparable in specialty positioning and European customer base.
- Crisp Malting Group: UK-based maltster producing base, specialty, organic, and roasted malts for brewing and distilling. Closely comparable in scale, product breadth, and customer mix (craft brewers, industrial brewers, and distillers).
- Muntons: UK-based maltster and malted ingredient supplier with operations serving brewing, distilling, and food customers. Comparable in scale, multi-site manufacturing footprint, and B2B ingredient model.
- Castle Malting: Belgian maltster offering a wide portfolio of base, specialty, organic, and experimental malts to brewers worldwide. Direct competitor in the specialty malt segment with similar craft-brewery go-to-market.
- Simpsons Malt: UK-based fifth-generation maltster with maltings in England and Scotland, serving brewing and distilling customers including Scotch whisky producers. Comparable in heritage, B2B ingredient model, and customer base.
- Pauls Malt: UK-based maltster producing malt primarily for brewing customers, including craft and industrial segments. Comparable mid-sized specialty/regional malt producer with similar B2B go-to-market.
- Weyermann Specialty Malts: German family-owned specialty malt producer with a comparable portfolio of base, specialty, organic, and smoked malts for craft and industrial brewers. Direct competitor in the premium/specialty malt segment with similar geographic European positioning and craft-brewery customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Boortmalt (Axéréal): Axéréal's global malting division and one of the top maltsters worldwide, with sites across Europe and beyond. Larger incumbent competitor with broader geographic reach than Viking Malt and similar European base.
- Soufflet Malt (InVivo): Maltster division of French agri-food group InVivo following the acquisition of Soufflet. Larger incumbent with a broad European footprint and significant contract malting relationships with multinational brewers.
- Malteurop (Vivescia): One of the world's largest maltsters, owned by French cooperative Vivescia, with operations across Europe, North America, and Australia. Significantly larger than Viking Malt, it sets the global benchmark on scale, contract pricing, and brewer relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Viking Malt social profiles
Digital presenceViking Malt compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Viking Malt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Viking Malt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Viking Malt subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Viking Malt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Viking Malt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Viking Malt
What does Viking Malt do?
Viking Malt produces and supplies a portfolio of malt products — Classic, Organic, Special, and Smoked malts — manufactured through steeping, germination, and kilning of barley and other grains at six production facilities across five Northern European countries. The company also offers the proprietary Sprau® malted faba bean ingredient and supports customers with pilot brewery and laboratory services for product development and customization. Its products are sold to breweries (industrial and craft) and distilleries worldwide, both directly and through a global partner network.
Is Viking Malt a public or private company?
Viking Malt is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Viking Malt founded?
Viking Malt was founded in 1880. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Viking Malt based?
Viking Malt is headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Viking Malt make money?
One revenue line is on record: malt Product Sales.
Who are Viking Malt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IREKS, Crisp Malting Group, Muntons, Castle Malting, Simpsons Malt, Pauls Malt and Weyermann Specialty Malts. Broad incumbents are Boortmalt (Axéréal), Soufflet Malt (InVivo) and Malteurop (Vivescia).
Does Viking Malt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Viking Malt.
What industry is Viking Malt in?
Viking Malt's product category is Malt and Brewing Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAAAJ, Malting Barley Production (Brewing/Distilling Supply), with a secondary code of AFAJAIAD, Brewing & Distilling Enzymes. Its NAICS code is 311213 and its SIC code is 2000.