Canadian malting barley returns to the Colombian market

Canada has regained access to the malting barley market in Colombia after nearly a decade-long break. In 2025, Colombia purchased around 56,000 tonnes of Canadian barley, marking its first significant import in about 10 years, supported by more competitive global prices.

Between 2000 and 2013, Colombia regularly imported 50,000–100,000 tonnes of Canadian barley, but shipments later stopped due to changes in ownership of the main buyer, brewery Bavaria, and stricter quality specifications under AB InBev. Higher Canadian prices also contributed to the loss of market share.

The recent comeback was driven by falling Canadian barley prices following shifts in global trade flows and a record 2025 harvest of 9.73 million tonnes in Canada. At the same time, reduced supply from key competitors such as France improved Canada’s competitiveness in the global malting barley market.

Colombia’s dominant brewer Bavaria has already signalled continued interest in Canadian supplies and may expand sourcing to its operations in Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Industry experts note that Latin America represents around 1 million tonnes of annual demand for malting barley, offering significant export potential for Canadian growers.

Tags: Canada, malting barley, Colombia