Interview with Teo Musso

From malting to the glass: the priorities of craft breweries for a stable, hygienic and sustainable supply chain.

Teo Musso, President of the Italian Craft Beer Consortium, explains the needs of craft brewers: modular machinery, attentive to hygiene and resource recovery, for quality beers that respect the environment and satisfy an increasingly demanding public.

               

A key figure on the Italian beer scene, Teo Musso, leads the Italian Craft Beer Consortium, founded in 2019 with the support of Coldiretti to promote the agricultural supply chain. The Consortium brings together breweries, malthouses and agricultural producers distributed in 16 regions, which account for 51% of the malt produced in Italy, 2/3 of the hectares cultivated with hops and 26% of the craft beer produced in our country.
We listened to Musso's perspective on the needs of craft breweries in terms of manufacturers of machinery and plants, following the path of the production chain – from malting, to bottling, to consumption – to meet the demands for stability, hygiene and sustainability made by both producers and consumers.

For agricultural breweries, which are increasingly growing barley, wheat and hops in short supply chains, malting is a crucial starting point. "It would be interesting to develop affordable micro-malthouses, compact systems to process 200-300 kilos of malt at a time, which could be integrated into agritourisms and viewed during company visits," explains Musso, underlining the importance of modular and economical solutions. These micro-plants, ideal for craft breweries, in addition to obtaining malt from raw materials, would also be "educational" tools aimed at promoting agricultural tourism and territoriality, allowing visitors to experience the transformation process.

In the fermentation phase, the focus shifts to sustainability and resource optimisation. Musso highlights an opportunity: "Simple systems for recovering and purifying CO2 produced in fermentation, to be reused in decanting or filling, would reduce waste and the environmental impact". This also responds to the growing consumer demand for natural and stable beers, without oxidative off-flavours. Wastewater treatment is another front: "Compact machinery to purify the wastewater from breweries would be a step forward for sustainability, without sacrificing the craft quality," adds Musso, indicating a direction that the Consortium is encouraging to align production with green standards.

When moving on to filtration and stabilisation, especially for low or zero alcohol beers (0.5° to 3.5°), which constitute an expanding market bracket, hygiene becomes crucial. "The lower the alcohol content, the more delicate and susceptible the product is to contamination”, Musso points out, and breweries demand advanced filtration systems, with closed environments and filtered air in the filling area to minimise bacterial risks.  

Pasteurisation, possibly applied to the finished product before packaging, is a hot topic: "Unionbirrai has opened up to pasteurisation for non-alcoholic beers, as long as the majority of beers in the brewery are unpasteurised," Musso says. However, for alcoholic beers, impeccable washing and healthy environments are needed, with machinery equipped with sensors to keep the oxygen level low and ensure stability, and therefore reduce returns – a strong need on the part of consumers who want beers to be fresh and of constant quality.

In bottling and filling, oxygen management remains key. "Filling lines that pay attention to PO2, both for bottles and cans, are essential for stability, especially for low alcohol beers", Musso explains. Flexibility is equally important: "We value dual or multiple-purpose machinery, which avoids investments in single-use equipment". For beers on tap, the precision of the carbonation is fundamental: "In-line saturators for an exact CO2 content avoid pouring issues, since the managers of premises no longer tolerate beers with excessive foam, and consumers want a perfect creaminess", he adds.

Finally, in packaging and labelling, craft breweries are looking for innovative and sustainable solutions. Musso gives a concrete example: "Cans that turn into glasses reduce the environmental impact by avoiding disposable glasses for events. This responds to the consumers’ awareness of sustainability". In addition, "printers for custom labelling would be useful for small batches or export batches, allowing for quick characterisation without high costs," Musso suggests.

In summary, craft breweries, through the voice of Teo Musso in his institutional role, are asking machine manufacturers for modular, economical and flexible solutions that do not penalise their small scale, but rather enhance their identity. A clear message for a supply chain that aims to innovate without losing its artisanal soul.

Maurizio Taglioni

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