Bake and brew: Japanese bakery company tackles food waste by upcycling bread crusts into craft beers

Founded in 1923, the bakery company started the Better life with upcycle brand in 2021 to tackle the food waste problem resulting from production.

It released a sustainable craft beer made from bread crusts through an OEM from an external brewery in 2022, before establishing its own brewery last year.

This move is part of its new business model with upcycling as the key focus. At the same time, it hopes to “demonstrate the possibilities” for food manufacturers in adjacent fields.

Today, all its craft beers are brewed using bread crusts generated during the bread-making process to substitute a portion of malt.

Better life with upcycle recently launched a new low-malt beer called Iyokan Saison at its online store and Brewing & Distilling Lab, and select stores in the Ehime Prefecture.

Also known as happoshu in Japan, low-malt beer has a malt content of less than 67% and is popular because it is typically priced lower than beer.

This product is a collaboration between Better life with upcycle and MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM, which grows Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS)-certified organic Iyokan oranges in the Hojo area of ​​Ehime Prefecture.

Iyokan oranges are notable for their bright, citrusy fragrance, and a balanced sweet and tangy taste.

Iyokan Saison is made by steeping Iyokan peels in wort during the fermentation stage and replacing part of the malt with bread crusts, producing an easy-to-drink beer with a refreshing and rich orange flavour.

“This fruit beer is made with a generous amount of extremely rare JAS-certified organic oranges, which account for only 0.09% of Japan’s total orange production, based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

“The softness of the wheat from bread crusts and the spicy, black pepper-like aroma from Belgian Saison yeast create a complex harmony with the clear, green citrus aroma of Iyokan oranges. The beer has a crisp mouthfeel with slight sourness, making for a refreshing finish,” the brand said.

Promoting sustainable agriculture In citrus cultivation, fruit thinning is carried out to prevent over-fruiting and improve harvest quality. Traditionally, thinned fruits were discarded as they contained residual pesticides.

MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM was founded with the goal of promoting sustainable agriculture in Japan by realising agricultural-welfare collaboration and working with various companies.

Through its efforts, the firm seeks to address problems faced by the country’s agriculture sector, including the decline in agricultural workers due to the ageing population, increase in abandoned farmland, and agricultural waste issues.

It is able to produce Iyokan oranges organically through “careful management of pests and weeds”. As the oranges are grown without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, even the peels of the thinned fruits can be used for upcycling.

In addition, MOTTAINAI COCOLOFARM has introduced a project titled IMI (“meaning” in Japanese) with the aim of reducing food waste, and providing people with “delicious products that are meaningful for the earth, society, and local areas and communities”.

“The IMI project aims not only to reduce agricultural waste, but also to achieve sustainable agriculture and revitalise rural areas through products and services that are valuable to consumers.”

Apart from mainly growing Iyokan oranges, its farm also cultivates other varieties such as Beni Madan, Kanpei, and Setoka.

For Iyokan oranges that cannot be sold due to their appearance or size, they are processed and made into Iyokan juice for sale.