CBH Group and Interflour Group have opened a new $70m Intermalt facility in Vietnam.

Intermalt is a subsidiary of Interflour, which is 50% owned by Australian wheat and barley exporter CBH Group.

CBH's chairman Wally Newman said: “CBH’s investment in Interflour 12 years ago was ground breaking and today’s opening of the Intermalt facility in Vietnam marks a new phase of growth for the business as it moves into barley processing and expands across South East Asia.

“It will be a new chapter for Western Australian barley growers who now have direct access to Vietnam’s burgeoning beer market, the fastest growing beer market in Asia.”

Newman noted that harvest growers have delivered 1.5 million tonnes of malt barley into the CBH receival network in the past and the new facility will give them access to new markets.

Intermalt has already purchased 42,000t of malt barley as part of the final commissioning phase. A total of 32,000t of barley has come from the Kwinana and Albany port zones.

Heineken Vietnam's corporate affairs director Matt Wilson said: “Heineken Vietnam always seeks to use local suppliers where possible in order to drive jobs and wealth in Vietnam”.

“Our preference for local sourcing has seen us contribute around 0.75% of Vietnam's total GDP and support nearly 200,000 jobs in Vietnam.