Bundaberg Launches First Ever Ginger Research Program

Iconic Ginger Beer Maker Harvesting Record Ginger Crop Amid Growing Ginger Trend.

With a half century of experience growing and brewing its own ginger, family-owned, craft beverage brand Bundaberg Brewed Drinks—known for its iconic Ginger Beer—is already a world leader in ginger. In the town that shares its name, Bundaberg, Australia, the company is currently harvesting nearly 800 tons of ginger, a ten percent increase over last year. At the same time, Bundaberg is collaborating on the first ever ginger research and development program to advance the knowledge of ginger growing techniques and to continue to provide consumers with the best tasting ginger beverages.

The study comes as consumer demand for ginger continues to see strong growth. Ginger is rising in popularity as an ingredient in beverage products thanks to the consumer trend of exotic and spicy flavors. In fact, ginger ranked in the top 10 trending searches in Google’s 2017 Beverage Report and, specific to craft soda, is the most sought-after flavor, growing five times that of the category[1].

“This innovative research study will allow us to optimize our growing techniques and expand our knowledge, to both continue to produce the best tasting ginger beverages in the world and help to attract larger scale growers to the ginger industry.”
– John McLean, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks CEO

John McLean, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks CEO

In collaboration with CQUniversity’s Institute for Future Farming Systems in Australia, the 12-month research program is focused on the development of unique growing techniques and the investigation of the impact of varied agronomic practices and environmental conditions on the compositional characteristics of ginger. It is the first program to focus on processing-grade ginger and the complexities of large scale production.

The resulting knowledge will be applied to optimize the flavor of the ginger used in Bundaberg’s beverages and to advance the ginger industry in Australia, while providing high quality ginger beverages around the world. While the results won’t be available until the ginger season concludes, the study has already shown that Bundaberg Brewed Drinks will be able to support its local growers with a supply of certified ginger that will have a positive impact on the healthy growing process.

“It’s fundamental to the industry that we continue to find ways to ensure the quality of our ingredients. We are proud of our clean, non-GMO farming practices and want to keep it that way. As we continue to grow we want our industry to prosper, so this is a very exciting time for us all as we see this program develop.”
– John McLean

Bundaberg has been brewing its world-renowned drinks for three generations, perfecting its craftsman brewing process.  Now available in over 44 countries globally Bundaberg Ginger Beer is still craft-brewed in the Australian town to a traditional recipe, using locally-sourced ginger. Courtesy of a recent distribution partnership announced with PepsiCo in late March, the iconic Ginger Beer and Root Beer flavors are set to appear in up to 400,000 outlets across the U.S.

For more information, visit Bundaberg.com.