The Spent Goods Company is a food transformer that reduces food waste by taking spent grain from the craft brewing industry and using it as an ingredient for bread and crackers. 

Every year, approx 16 Million Kilos of brewery grains are disposed in Ontario. Traditionally used as animal feed, the majority of these grains end up in landfills, which leads to greenhouse gas emission. In the craft brewing process, once barley has been boiled to release sugar, the grains are considered ‘spent’ and disposed of. Barley is considered one of the healthiest cereal grains and has twice the amount of fibre and protein compared to standard wheat.

Given the amount of spent waste disposed of and the potential nutritional value of barley, The Spent Goods company started to reduce food waste by taking spent grain from the craft brewing industry and using it as an ingredient for bread and crackers. The Spent Goods Company is currently one of the case studies promoted by the City of Toronto's Circular economy division as it advances the city's circular economy by:

- offering healthier food options locally (barley has twice the fibre of wheat)

- reducing greenhouse gases by keeping spent grains out of landfill

- collaborating with local businesses to improve their bottom line

- decreasing the risk associated with relying on external sources of raw materials (e.g. crop production).

The Spent Goods Company currently sells their Beer Bread Sourdough through select grocery stores. In collaboration with the Spent Goods Company, the Henderson Brewing Company recently made a limited edition Sourdough IPA Beer by replacing up to one third of the barley grains used in the brewing process with bread crumbs from unsold bread that would have otherwise been disposed of. They are currently looking for funding to bring this brew into full production, and testing new products with longer shelf life and new distribution channels.

Notable numbers

- 100% of products made in Toronto

- 1,000 loaves of bread sold per month

- 331 kilograms of spent grain diverted from disposal in first 7 months

- 12 businesses selling the company’s products