2025: AEGIC hosts Chinese barley delegation in Australia
AEGIC was honoured to host a delegation of Chinese malting and brewing industry representatives for a nationwide tour of Australia’s barley supply chain in July 2025.
The delegation was led by Yuan Yue, Secretary-General of the Beer Branch of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA), and included Yu Junhong, Deputy Director of the Research and Development Center of Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd., Bai Nannan, Purchasing Manager of Dalian Xingze Malting Co., Ltd., and You He from the Beer Branch of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association.
The visit was supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR).
The delegation was organised and hosted by AEGIC Markets Manager – Lead Mary Raynes. Over five days, the delegation visited farms, breeding companies, Pilot Malting Australia, industry associations, grain receival sites, ports and logistics centres across Western Australia and Victoria. The visit included an official welcome dinner in Perth, attended by the Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC, Minister for Agriculture and Food, and senior grains industry representatives. The delegation also attended the AGIC Australia conference in Melbourne, the premier annual Australian grains industry event, hosted by Grain Trade Australia.
The visit included many opportunities for constructive discussions with representatives from across the Australian grain sector.
AEGIC acknowledges and thanks the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) and the esteemed delegation for cooperating in the tour, which further strengthened the relationships and connections between the Chinese and Australian industries.
The visit was organised by AEGIC as part of its longstanding commitment to deepening understanding and cooperation between Australia’s barley supply chain and China’s brewing industry for mutual benefit.
Earlier in July 2025, AEGIC hosted its annual technical barley seminars in Guangzhou and Beijing, aimed at supporting Chinese malting and brewing representatives with the latest information from the Australian barley industry. AEGIC also acknowledges the cooperation of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association for those events, and the support of NFACR.
During 2025, as part of a separate project supported by Grains Australia, we are engaging with malting barley customers in China to collate objective intelligence on the quality and functionality attributes that customers require from Australian barley. These insights will help inform Australian industry decision-making on opportunities in these markets.
China is a major market for Australian barley, worth almost $1.2 billion on average.
2025 AEGIC Australian barley seminars
A delegation representing the Australian barley supply chain delivered two major technical seminars for the Chinese brewing and malting industries in July 2025, supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR).
The AEGIC-led Australian malting barley technical seminars for China are a highlight of our calendar and reflect the importance of the Chinese market for Australian barley.
China is a major market for Australian barley, worth almost $1.2 billion on average.
The fully booked seminars in Guangzhou (8 July) and Beijing (10 July) were received well by the Chinese industry who appreciate staying connected with the Australian barley industry and receiving the latest technical insights on barley production, breeding and varieties.
The Beijing seminar was opened by H E Mr Scott Dewar, Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (above).
The seminars also featured:
- Mary Raynes: AEGIC Markets Manager – Lead (delegation leader)
- Dr Paul Telfer: Australian Grain Technologies Senior Barley Breeder
- Dr Silvina Baraibar: InterGrain Barley Breeder
- Simon Tickner: Australian barley grower
- Mark Lewis: Riordan Grain Chief Commercial Officer
- Megan Edwards: Feed nutrition expert and AEGIC consultant
AEGIC collaborates with the Australian grain trade and the breeding sector to ensure organisations have fair opportunities to take part in these annual events.
Each seminar also featured panel discussions with representatives of the Chinese malting and brewing industries, including the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA), Dalian Xingze Malt and CBH Grain Asia.
The audiences were highly engaged and the content prompted energetic discussion and questions.
In between the seminars, the delegation visited a number of malting and brewing companies and industry organisations, including Guangdong Hai Da Group, Supertime Malting, COFCO Grains Holdings Limited, Chinese Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA), CR Beer (Snow Brewery), MaltEurop (Baoding). The delegation were also guests of Yanjing Brewery’s 34th Beijing International Yanjing Beer Culture Festival 2025.
All companies AEGIC met with reaffirmed the strong reputation and consistent quality of Australian malting barley.
The Chinese malting and brewing industry expressed a clear interest in accessing deeper technical insights into new and upcoming Australian barley varieties.
There is strong interest in building long-term technical and commercial relationships with Australia to support variety selection, improve brewing outcomes, and enhance supply chain confidence.
The Chinese industry places strong value on the AEGIC-led Australian barley technical seminars, considering them a key fixture in their annual calendar for accessing up-to-date insights on barley quality, variety development, and brewing performance.
2024 AEGIC Australian barley seminars
An Australian barley industry mission to China (2024) has been enthusiastically received by Chinese customers eager to connect with Australia’s barley supply chain and receive up-to-date technical support and information.
Thanks to investment from the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR), AEGIC led a delegation to some of China’s largest cities – Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou – to deliver two major seminars and deepen connections with a range of malting and brewing industry organisations.
The group comprised AEGIC market experts Mary Raynes and Chris Carter; Australian barley grower Simon Tickner, Australian malting barley expert Trevor Perryman, and Australia’s barley breeding industry, represented by InterGrain’s David Moody and Seednet’s Simon Crane.
The delegation visited industry organisations in Beijing and visited numerous malting and brewing companies across eastern and southern China. A common sentiment was how much companies appreciate the Australian barley industry’s efforts to strengthen relationships and provide technical support for mutual benefit.
This photo is a great demonstration of the impact of AEGIC’s work and how we make connections across the supply chain, from grower to customer.
Strengthening connections across the barley supply chain (L-R): Breeder (InterGrain’s David Moody) and grower (Simon Tickner), with a buyer, maltster and brewer from the Chinese industry. Location: Supertime, one of the largest malting houses in southern China.
Visiting malting houses in Yangcheng City.
Yancheng CityAEGIC’s Australian barley technical seminars in Shanghai and Guangzhou were highly successful. Collectively over 60% of China’s malting industry attended the Guangzhou seminar alone.
With content tailored to the technical needs of Chinese maltsters, brewers and barley traders, the seminars sparked lively and positive discussions among the highly engaged audience. Feedback suggested this was the most engaged audience we have seen in China to date.
Technical support and information from the Australian barley industry is highly appreciated by Chinese customers and increases the likelihood they will choose grain from Australia.
AEGIC’s seminars, supported by NFACR, were a collaboration across the Australian barley industry and Chinese trade and featured insights and commentary from:
- David Warner: Deputy Consul-General, Shanghai
- Adam Clancy, Deputy Consul-General, Guangzhou
- Mary Raynes: Markets Manger – Lead AEGIC
- David Moody, Senior Barley Breeder, InterGrain.
- Simon Crane, National Manager Seednet, Australia
- Trevor Perryman, Consultant to AEGIC
- Simon Tickner: Barley grower, Victoria, Australia Yellow Grain
- David Cui, General Manager Grain Corp, China
- Jiuming Zhang, Procurement and Logistics Director, Malteurop, China
- Ms Hattie Zhang, Viterra, China
- Mr Jack Wang, Director, Xingze Malt, Dalian
- Mr Jianqin HAO, Deputy Secretary General of the Beer Raw Materials Professional Committee of CADA
With NFACR’s investment, AEGIC will also host a 10-day industry delegation to Australia from China to showcase the Australian barley supply chain and deliver market briefings to Australian growers aimed at building China literacy and capability, among other activities.
China is an important market for Australian barley. Chinese customers choose Australian barley because of its quality and performance for malting and beer brewing, as well as animal feed and the growing distilling industry.
While the China barley market was closed, AEGIC continued to support Chinese customers with information on new varieties, accreditation developments and industry updates to help maintain relationships and prepare for Australian barley to smoothly re-enter the market, should the market reopen. In our conversations with the Chinese Alcoholic Drinks Association and maltsters, this work was recognised and appreciated.
Trade resumed when tariffs were removed in August 2023, and by the end of that year, Australia exported at an unprecedent pace nearly 3 million tonnes of barley worth $1.2 billion to China.
AEGIC is an initiative of the Western Australian State Government and Grains Australia.