Flavorful Barley - Barley Breeding Program

What is Barley Bloom?

Barley Bloom is the MSU Barley Program's venture supporting the full value chain through diversified products that offer a host of benefits including flavor and nutritional aspects!

As a Montana-based venture, we support local agriculture while addressing a global functional food market. Our combined technical, industry, and agricultural expertise allows us to translate research into commercially viable solutions. This combination of scientific validation, early traction, and platform scalability positions Barley Bloom for rapid translation from research to market.

Our approach generates multiple value-added products (sprouted, toasted, and koji barley) from the same raw material, reducing risk and increasing scalability. Additionally, the use of diverse koji strains enables us to tailor flavor and functionality for different applications, strengthening our position as a platform technology rather than a single ingredient.

Check out the slides describing this project for MSU's Annual Venture Competition

Project Description

Barley Bloom is a foodtech redefining the grain value chain by opening resilient, high-value markets for Montana barley growers. Farmers face extreme market volatility and declining malting demand; we address this by transforming Montana’s world-class barley into a portfolio of high-value functional ingredients. Developed at MSU Malt Quality Lab and supported by Montana Farmers Union, our "Soil-to-Shelf" model commercializes every stage of production—Sprouted, Toasted, and Koji-Fermented barley. This multi-stage approach creates multiple revenue streams for growers and a customizable toolkit for food manufacturers. By pairing barley genetics with targeted koji strains, we unlock diverse, natural flavor profiles (from floral and fruity to honey and chocolate) and functional enzymatic properties for applications beyond traditional grain ingredients. Barley Bloom connects local agricultural excellence to the rapidly growing $200B+ global functional food market, driven by demand for products that support wellness while delivering appealing sensory experiences. Our clean-label ingredients provide both sensory appeal and technical functionality, with potential benefits for gut health and overall wellness, enabling the next generation of snacks, plant-based foods, and beverages while strengthening the economic future of Montana growers. We target food manufacturers and ingredient companies in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific, connecting Montana growers to scalable, value-added markets.

Early Traction

5K in non-dilutive funding - MT Farmers Union

MT Farmers are eager for new markets and the Farmers Union has shown additional interest, we will be presenting a full grant request in August 2026.

MT Farmers Union

Industry Interest & Early Adopters:

Pleasant Prairie Brewing

Hakubaku

The Ranch at Rock Creek

East Village Brewing

The Product

We are currently in the early-stage development phase, including prototyping and research and development. Initial funding from the Montana Farmers Union is supporting the development and testing of first prototypes.

Prior research conducted at the Malt Quality Lab has already demonstrated the technical feasibility of barley koji production, including controlled solid-state fermentation, consistent product generation, and measurable impacts on flavor and sensory attributes. These results provide strong proof-of-concept for its application as a novel food ingredient, demonstrating both technical feasibility and sensory differentiation.

koji variations

Customer and Market Analysis

Customer discovery has included early engagement with multiple stakeholders across the value chain. Support from the Montana Farmers Union has provided both initial funding and direct connections to barley growers and small businesses, validating supply-side interest. We have identified interest from breweries exploring flavor innovation, as well as a barley tea company evaluating koji barley for new product development. Initial discussions with large food manufacturers (e.g., General Mills) indicate potential interest in novel barley-based ingredients. These interactions, combined with strong growth in the functional food sector and increasing demand for flavor-forward, fermentation-derived ingredients, support early validation that customers are actively seeking differentiated, value-added grain ingredients and are willing to explore adoption.

Barley Bloom targets the rapidly growing functional food market, expected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, with strong growth in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions. Our initial focus is B2B ingredient supply to food manufacturers and processors, with applications in snacks, plant-based foods, and functional beverages. Regionally, we begin in Montana by supporting local growers and building a resilient supply chain, then expand across the U.S. and into Asia-Pacific markets, where barley-based and fermented foods are already well established. Additional market opportunities include clean-label and fermentation-derived ingredients, both of which are experiencing strong growth driven by consumer demand for natural, functional, and flavorful products, particularly those supporting wellness and clean-label formulations. We anticipate initial market entry through niche, high-value ingredient applications before expanding into larger-scale food manufacturing segments.

Why Barley Bloom Has the Advantage

Barley Bloom differentiates itself through a "Soil-to-Shelf" platform that bridges the gap between raw agriculture and high-value functional ingredients. While traditional grain processors compete on volume and basic nutrition, and fermentation companies often focus on a single niche, Barley Bloom offers a multi-stage, vertically integrated approach that maximizes value. Our key competitive advantages include: Multi-Stage Commercialization: Unlike competitors who sell a single product, our process generates value at each stage—Sprouted (enhanced nutrition), Toasted (flavor and texture), and Koji-Fermented (advanced flavor and enzymatic functionality). This diversifies revenue streams, reduces production risk, and enables access to multiple B2B markets. Flavor & Functional Diversity: By pairing barley genetics with targeted koji strains, we unlock a wide range of natural flavor profiles—from floral and fruity to honey and chocolate—without artificial additives. Our fermented ingredients retain active enzymes, providing functionality such as natural meat tenderizing and starch modification. Institutional Advantage: We combine scientific expertise, applied R&D infrastructure, and direct access to growers, enabling faster development and stronger supply chain integration than traditional competitors. We do not offer a single ingredient, but a customizable, clean-label ingredient platform addressing flavor, texture, and functional needs in the global functional food market.

Financial Projections - Supporting MT AG

Our projections are informed by comparable fermentation-based food ingredient ventures in the U.S. and Japan, which typically follow a phased growth model from R&D to commercialization, from local market to internationalization. Years 1–2 focus on product development, pilot production, and initial B2B sales. By Year 3, we anticipate early commercialization, with projected revenues of $250K–$500K driven by ingredient sales (sprouted, toasted, and koji barley). Years 4–5 focus on scaling production and expanding into U.S. and Asia-Pacific markets, reaching $1M–$3M in annual revenue, with improving margins as higher-value fermented products represent a larger share of sales. We expect to approach profitability between Years 3–4 as production scales and recurring B2B relationships are established.As the venture grows, we plan to explore non-dilutive funding and strategic investment to support scaling and commercialization.

Our Team

Our team combines deep expertise in fermentation science, sensory analysis, and barley breeding, uniquely positioning us to develop and scale barley koji as a novel food ingredient. Prior research at the Malt Quality Lab has already demonstrated the technical feasibility of barley koji production and its ability to significantly enhance flavor and sensory complexity, providing strong proof-of-concept.

We have secured early-stage funding ($5,000) from the Montana Farmers Union, which also supports our venture through direct connections with growers and small businesses. Initial customer discovery has identified interest from breweries, food companies, and ingredient developers, including early conversations with large manufacturers.

Aline Brito – Food Engineer and PhD in Food Technology, currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Malt Quality Lab (MSU–Bozeman). Aline specializes in barley koji, sensory science, and fermentation-based product innovation, with experience spanning product development, metabolomics, and applied research. She leads the technical development of the project, focusing on barley koji as a novel flavor ingredient and food product, while also exploring brewing applications.

Hannah Uhlmann – Director of the Malt Quality Lab at MSU, with extensive experience in malt quality, brewing science, and industry collaboration. Hannah has a background in home fermentation and strong ties to the malt and brewing industries, and brings expertise in project and financial management, as well as in product translation from lab to industry. Her sustainability-driven and industry-focused perspective ensures a feasible path toward real-world application in both food and beverage sectors.

Jamie Sherman – Professor and Barley Breeder at MSU-Bozeman, with extensive experience developing barley varieties aligned with both industry and producer needs. Jamie brings a strategic, forward-looking perspective focused on supporting Montana growers and expanding value-added markets. Her work in food barley innovation directly supports the development of barley-based ingredients and positions this project within a scalable and emerging food market.