CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF COUNTRY MALT GROUP
By Hailey Thrash-NelsonIn an industry built on passion, community, and craftsmanship, reaching 30 years is no small feat– and we’re taking a moment to reflect on just how monumental that is.
What began in 1995 as a small family venture in Champlain, New York, has grown into Country Malt Group (CMG), a cornerstone of the craft beverage industry across North America. Claude Bechard and his son Bryan started with just six bags of malt, a homebrew grist mill, and an overloaded blue cargo van parked behind the family home. There were no customers– just grit, vision, and a dream to support the growing homebrew and craft beer scene.
“We didn’t have a single customer lined up,” Claude remembered. “But we had the determination to make it work. Every bag, every mile, we put in the time.”
From those humble beginnings in a backyard shed to operating a network of distribution centers and partnering with the industry’s leading maltsters, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Along the way, CMG helped pioneer custom milling services for brewers, built one of the most comprehensive malt portfolios in the market, and played a significant role in the growth of the North American craft brewing movement.
Bryan Bechard shared, “We didn’t set out to build something big–we set out to do something right. To provide brewers with quality ingredients, unmatched service, and a partner they could trust. The fact that we’ve grown into what CMG is today is a testament to the incredible people we’ve worked with and the brewing community that supported us from day one.”
Thirty years later, we’re proud to continue that mission, with the same values at the heart of everything we do. We’re still here for the long haul, still innovating, still supporting brewers and distillers, and still just as passionate as ever.
To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we sat down with Bryan and Claude on a very special episode of The BrewDeck Podcast to relive their journey, share behind-the-scenes stories (including overloaded vans, creative border crossings, and the iconic backyard shed), and reflect on how CMG became the one-stop shop it is today.
Listen to the full episode now and take a walk down memory lane with the founders of CMG:
Heading to Craft Brewers Conference next week? Join us for our 30th Anniversary Party at Guggman Haus Brewing on April 29. More details here.
Here’s to 30 years of malt, memories, and making it happen—and to the next chapter in our shared story.
