On Friday the 20th, the SFS team swapped paddocks and plots for hard hats and high-vis, enjoying a well-earned post-harvest celebration with a behind-the-scenes look at parts of our industry supply chain.

The day kicked off in Geelong, where the team boarded a bus bound for Corio Quay to witness one of Riordan Grain Services’ barley shipments being loaded for export. It was an impressive sight, with the vessel taking on close to 35,000 tonnes of barley over a little more than a week. Grain was loaded both from port storage sheds and augured directly from trucks into the ship, highlighting the scale and efficiency of export logistics.

From there, we headed to Lara to tour Riordan’s fertiliser and grain storage facilities. Buzzing with activity, the site was busy loading long lines of trucks with MAP fertiliser ahead of sowing. A visit to Riordan’s head office followed, providing valuable insight into their day-to-day operations. While our work often focuses on small plots and fine-scale research, seeing this level of volume and throughput was both eye-opening and inspiring.

The afternoon took us to Melbourne for a tour of the Asashi Carlton & United Breweries Abbotsford facility. The team was guided through every stage of the brewing process, from malting and fermentation through to bottling and distribution. A standout moment was visiting the pilot brewery, where R&D and new malt variety trials take place—an exciting connection back to the grains industry.

The day wrapped up with a tasting at the Carlton Brewhouse, the perfect finish to a fantastic experience. A big thank you to the Riordan team and Asahi CUB staff for their hospitality and for sharing their expertise.

Images below: Riordan Grains loading a ship for export & Fertiliser Shed at Lara and Asashi Carlton & United Breweries Abbotsford facility.