Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 24

what’s working
“We still make most of the decisions based on
how it tastes and smells and looks.”
— Andrew Gibb, plant manager, Great Western Malting
usage. They also brought in new kiln fans and made other
changes that saved millions of kilowatt hours of electricity
per year.
In addition to drastic energy and water reductions, the
company’s innovation also led to the Malt Innovation
Center. The large, sterile room has a micro-maltery on one
side and a micro-brewery on the other. In the mini malting
facility, batches of new barley varieties as small as a freezer
bag can be malted and tested. In the one-barrel brewing
system, brewers stop by for collaborations, like a Biscuit
Rye Pale Ale that was recently brewing.
O’Toole says the innovation has been more than a triple
win: It has saved money, improved the process and reduced
their footprint. “It’s also a story to share with employees
and with customers and shareholders about how we’re
always improving.”
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Great Western’s culture reflects the depth of
tradition. They have more than 100 employees,
and many are related: On a recent visit, an
employee assessing malt in a lab recalled
running around the plant as a kid when his dad
worked there. One of the malting supervisors
was introduced to the company when his
family emigrated and his father worked in
maintenance.