eckert malting and brewing

What eckert malting and brewing does

Eckert Malting and Brewing is a privately held, founder-operated craft food and beverage business based in Chico, California, founded in 2014 by Jim Eckert, a homebrewer since 1985. The company operates a dedicated gluten-free facility in which it custom malts and roasts California-grown rice into a portfolio of specialty rice malts (Pale, Biscuit, Amber, Crystal, James' Brown, Dark, Gas Hog, plus Malted Rice Hulls) and produces a gluten-free Amber Rice Malt Cereal sold directly through its own online store in 1-pound ($18) and 2-pound ($26) packages. It also crafts a line of naturally gluten-free, live and unfiltered beers (Kristina's Challenge, Not a Quad, Eckert's Select Lager, Doppel Dawg), although in-house beer brewing is currently paused while the company accepts future interest from California residents.

The underlying technology is a proprietary rice malting process — steeping rice to stimulate germination, then drying and roasting with adjustable time and temperature to produce diverse flavor and color profiles — protected from barley cross-contamination by the dedicated facility. Four rice beer styles were independently tested by White Labs and confirmed to meet standard barley beer style parameters. Distribution combines direct sales (phone/email and the company website) with exclusive channel partnerships: Gluten Free Home Brewing handles the contiguous United States homebrew market, Two Bays Brewing covers Australia and New Zealand, and wholesale malt is sold directly to commercial breweries on a quote basis. There are no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or headcount figures, and the company reports no AI, app, or API capabilities.

Name

eckert malting and brewing

Legal name

Eckert Malting and Brewing

Website

https://eckertmaltingandbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Eckert Malting and Brewing is a Chico, California-based craft producer of gluten-free rice malts, rice malt cereal, and naturally gluten-free beers, serving craft brewers, home brewers, food producers, and California consumers from a dedicated gluten-free facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gluten-Free Craft Brewing Ingredients and Beverages

NAICS

Malt Manufacturing (311213)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Rice & Grain Processing (milling, polishing, parboiling, blending) (AFAKABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gluten-Free & Specialty Grain-Based Foods Manufacturing (GF pasta/cereals, ancient grains) (AFAKABAK)

Keywords

• Gluten-free rice malts
• Craft brewing ingredients
• Gluten-free craft beer
• Malt cereal products
• Custom malt roasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chico

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rice Malt Products: Sale of various rice malt products including Pale, Biscuit, Amber, Crystal, James' Brown, Dark, and Gas Hog rice malts, plus malted rice hulls. Available in hulled and de-hulled varieties. Wholesale pricing available for breweries.
2. Rice Malt Cereal: Sale of Amber Rice Malt Cereal in 1lb and 2lb packages through online store. One-time purchase products for breakfast and baking applications.
3. Gluten-Free Beer Direct Sales: Direct sales of craft gluten-free beers (Kristina's Challenge, Not a Quad, Eckert's Select Lager, Doppel Dawg) exclusively to California residents. Currently not brewing but accepting future interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Eckert Malting and Brewing custom malts and roasts California rice to produce a range of gluten-free rice malts (Pale, Biscuit, Amber, Crystal, James' Brown, Dark, Gas Hog, plus Malted Rice Hulls) for craft and home brewers. The company also operates an online store selling organic Amber Rice Malt Cereal in 1 lb and 2 lb sizes, and crafts naturally gluten-free rice beers (Kristina's Challenge, Not a Quad, Eckert's Select Lager, Doppel Dawg) sold directly to California residents. All production takes place in a dedicated gluten-free facility to prevent cross-contamination.

Product overview

Eckert Malting & Brewing operates as a dual-entity business combining craft beverage production with specialty ingredient manufacturing. The company produces a portfolio of gluten-free rice malts (Pale, Biscuit, Amber, Crystal, James' Brown, Dark, Gas Hog varieties, plus Malted Rice Hulls) sold as ingredients to home brewers and commercial breweries, alongside consumer food products including Amber Rice Malt Cereal in 1lb and 2lb packages. The company also crafts its own line of naturally gluten-free beers including Kristina's Challenge (Hop Forward Rice Ale), Not a Quad (Belgian Style Rice Beer), Eckert's Select Lager, and Doppel Dawg (Very Dark Rice Lager). All products are manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility to prevent cross-contamination. Distribution includes direct sales of beers to California residents and retail availability of malts through specialty distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pale Rice Malt Base malt for gluten-free brewing, available with the hull for authentic grain character. Sold to craft breweries and home brewers.
• Biscuit Rice Malt Roasted rice malt providing biscuit-like flavor notes for depth in gluten-free beers. Sold to craft breweries and home brewers.
• Amber Rice Malt Medium-roast rice malt offering amber color and balanced malt sweetness for gluten-free brewing. Available hulled or de-hulled.
• Crystal Rice Malt Crystalized rice malt delivering concentrated sweetness and rich caramel flavors for gluten-free beer recipes.
• James' Brown Rice Malt Signature dark roasted rice malt named after founder Jim Eckert, offering rich brown color and deep roasted flavors.
• Dark Rice Malt Dark-roast rice malt for creating deep, dark gluten-free beers with bold roasted character.
• Gas Hog Rice Malt High-diastatic power rice malt designed for maximum starch conversion in gluten-free brewing.
• Malted Rice Hulls Rice hulls from the malting process, used as an additive to improve lautering in gluten-free brewing.
• Amber Rice Malt Cereal (1 pound) Organic, certified gluten-free amber rice malt cereal sold in 1-pound bags through the company online store. Priced at $18.00 per bag. Intended for breakfast or baking applications.
• Amber Rice Malt Cereal (2 pounds) Organic, certified gluten-free amber rice malt cereal sold in 2-pound bags through the company online store. Priced at $26.00 per bag. Intended for family-size breakfast or baking applications.
• Kristina's Challenge (Hop Forward Rice Ale) Hop-forward rice ale brewed with premium California rice, hops, and yeast; live, unfiltered, and naturally gluten-free. Sold directly to California residents.
• Not a Quad (Belgian Style Rice Beer) Belgian-style rice beer crafted with malted California rice, offering complexity rivaling traditional barley-based Belgian quads. Sold directly to California residents.
• Eckert's Select Lager Lager-style rice beer made with California rice, water, hops, and yeast; refreshing, crisp, and live/unfiltered. Sold directly to California residents.
• Doppel Dawg (Very Dark Rice Lager) Very dark rice lager featuring rich roasted flavors from custom-malted California rice; full-bodied and bold. Sold directly to California residents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four rice beer styles met White Labs testing parameters for barley beer styles, with none flagged as anything but high-quality beer

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gluten Free Home BrewingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Eckert rice malt products within the contiguous United States. Home brewers can purchase Eckert malts through www.glutenfreehomebrewing.com
• Two Bays BrewingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Eckert rice malt products in Australia and New Zealand. Products available through www.twobays.beer

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glutenberg: Canadian craft brewery producing exclusively gluten-free beers from millet, buckwheat, rice, and other alternative grains. Directly comparable as a 100% GF craft brewery targeting celiac consumers with non-barley grains.
• Ghostfish Brewing Company: Seattle-based craft brewery dedicated exclusively to gluten-free beer using millet and buckwheat malts. Direct peer in the dedicated-GF craft beer niche, serving similar celiac/intolerant consumer segments.
• Ground Breaker Brewing: Oregon-based gluten-free craft brewery using chestnuts, lentils, and GF grains. Direct peer with comparable dedicated-facility approach and similar target consumer (celiac/gluten-intolerant craft beer drinkers).
• Bard's Tale Beer Company: One of the first dedicated gluten-free craft breweries in the US, producing sorghum-based beers. Comparable as a long-running dedicated-GF craft brand serving the same celiac/intolerant consumer segment.
• Brunehaut Brewery: Belgian brewery producing gluten-free beer variants from non-barley grains, with international distribution. Direct peer in the dedicated gluten-free brewing category with a comparable product structure.
• Two Bays Brewing: Australian dedicated gluten-free craft brewery that is also Eckert's exclusive ANZ distributor. Highly comparable — same dedicated-GF positioning, same alternative-grain malting approach, and a direct commercial relationship with the subject company.

Broad incumbents

• Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. Large US specialty maltster offering a broad portfolio including some gluten-free malt products. Broad incumbent in the malt ingredient space that competes on scale and distribution breadth, not dedicated GF specialization.
• Weyermann Specialty Malts: Major German specialty maltster producing a wide range of brewing malts including specialty and organic lines. Broad incumbent in specialty malts with comparable B2B ingredient focus but vastly larger scale and barley-centric portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 eckert malting and brewing