Craft beer is making its way into the Tuscan territory. This is confirmed by information released by ObiArt, the Observatory of Craft Beers based at the Department of Agriculture of the University of Florence, which, together with Vetrina Toscana, called together enterprises, institutions and academics at the main lecture hall to review the development of a beer production chain and tourism system throughout the region.
Tuscany emerges as an emblematic case in the national scene, showing the strength of small entrepreneurship that is strongly oriented towards craftsmanship, in constant growth and more than ever determined to create a system based on its inherent sense of hospitality. The increase in the number of employees in the sector throughout the territory is significant to this effect, rising from 124 in 2015 (7,893 in Italy) to 236 in 2022 (9,612 in Italy, +21%), a 90% leap that illustrates the need for breweries, especially the smallest ones – 88% of them have no more than 5 employees – to structure themselves and increase their turnover in order to be more competitive on the market. The number of enterprises also grew gradually, from 60 to 95 in the same time frame.
The research undertaken by ObiArt, according to the Observatory manager and DAGRI lecturer Silvio Menghini, also highlights another important factor: while the number of agricultural breweries in Italy has increased significantly (+233% since 2015), at the regional level the evolution actually reaches +333%, rising from 86 breweries in 2015 to 286 in 2022. Therefore, growth is impressive, not only in terms of quantity but also in quality, becoming increasingly connected to the territory both in terms of the artisanal dimension of the breweries and the locally sourced raw materials employed.
An ongoing survey, in cooperation with Unionbirrai, shows that 46% of Italian craft breweries use locally sourced raw materials – barley and hops. By law (Italian Ministerial Decree 212/2010), this percentage includes all agricultural breweries and 30% also includes craft breweries that, although they can source their supplies from elsewhere, turn to local farmers. A short, sustainable supply chain, of which agricultural enterprises are the true accelerators and which gives hope for the revival of local agri-food excellence since the nectar of Ceres has always been present in Tuscany, even if as a rather small-scale phenomenon.
The path, however, is not without some challenges, explain Simone Orlandini, director of DAGRI, and Marco Mancini, both experts in cereal systems: barley intended for the production of malt for beer must have particular quality characteristics, such as high specific weight, low protein content, and uniformity in grain size. Cultivation requires special agronomic techniques, some of which have yet to be refined, as they are not typical of our areas. Nonetheless, the demand for craft beer is booming and is opening the way for further diversification of the territory’s basket of excellent food products. It is written in the 84% of breweries that have long since made arrangements to welcome tourists who are fond of the beverage or even just want to get off the beaten track. 73% of the companies offer tours of their facilities and hop gardens, about half can host them in the tap room for a tasting, and over 32% invite guests to the table with typical products paired with their beers. Approximately 25% of brewpubs can tap “blondes, reds and browns” in the glass and offer an experience to remember.
Thus, a precise outline of touristic activity is defined, which moves in the direction of the development of an all-natural brewing industry. An objective that is supported, remarks Gennaro Giliberti, the Region’s agriculture manager, through funding from the Rural Development Programme, as well as through projects such as Hops Tuscany, for high-quality hop cultivation, and Quali Birre, whose aim is to improve the quality of Tuscan farmhouse beers and raise the technical and economic skills of farmhouse brewery owners.
Producers and consumers, the brewery culture is promoted on both fronts and with various initiatives that are also promoted by Toscana Promozione Turistica, through Vetrina Toscana, the project of the Region and Unioncamere Toscana that promotes food and wine tourism and to whose network a third of the craft breweries have already enrolled. Many initiatives have been launched since 2021 to raise awareness and educate about yellow gold, an expression of the territory and its special characteristics, as well as a short supply chain that is becoming increasingly consolidated The conference precisely focused on this awareness and other values unanimously shared by policy-makers, academics and entrepreneurs, namely that beer tourism is an opportunity to promote destinations, history, nature and local excellence, that breweries are an expression of young and dynamic entrepreneurship, particularly attentive to low environmental impact and sustainable practices, which can only continue to grow.
To finish, those present were offered a tasting of craft beers and local products by the QUORE Association – QUalità e Origine REte Toscana DOP e IGP – set up in 2022, which brings together and proposes 9 PDO and PGI products: Castagna del Monte Amiata IGP – Fagiolo di Sorana IGP – Farro della Garfagnana IGP – Marrone del Mugello IGP Mortadella di Prato IGP – Olio Seggiano DOP – Olio Terre di Siena DOP – Pane Toscano DOP – Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane DOP.
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