Maltster

Job Overview

Maltsters are responsible for malting: the start to finish process of converting various types of cereal grain (barley, wheat, rye, etc.) into malt. Malting is a 3-step process; steeping, germination and drying. Comprehensive training will be provided. However, making malt requires attention to detail, so the Maltster must be detail oriented.

Duties:

Physical Labor:

Each batch of malt will require: cleaning the steep tank, loading grain into the steep tank, cleaning the germination bins, transferring steeped grain to the germination bins, stirring the germinating grain each day, cleaning the kiln, transferring germinated grain to the kiln for drying, unloading the kiln and packaging the finished malt into 50 lb bags and/or large super sacks. Milling of grain into 50 lb bags and/or large super sacks will also be required at times. At the end of the day the production area must be clean and tidy.

Proper safety gear must be worn including respirator, safety glasses, and ear protection.

The maltster must be able to drive a forklift, which we offer on the job training for. Trucks are loaded with malt and unloaded with grain on a daily basis.

Proper cleaning and organizing of work areas must be maintained daily.

Process Control:

The Maltster must check and record the malt moisture, temperature, and germination growth daily. With training, the Maltster is responsible for understanding the malting process, identifying issues in the process when they arise, and communicating those problems to the team.

The malt house is a food production facility and must be cleaned weekly to maintain food-safe conditions. Cleaning must be logged and initialed. Pest Control operations must be maintained and logged.

Desired Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or equivalent, with a certificate or other advanced education in the malting or brewing process.
• Manufacturing or grain handling experiences desirable and/or experience in brewing and/or packaging, especially in a food industry.
• Basic knowledge of maintenance mechanics, preventive maintenance of mechanical equipment
• Aware of safety issues and concerns
• Work effectively and productively in a team, self-starter, attention to details, organized, able to flag / troubleshoot problems and produces on schedule

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the Maltster is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit. The employee must constantly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 ponds and occasionally up to 100 pounds. If you enjoy getting a good workout in on a daily basis, you will enjoy this job, it is physically demanding.

Work Environment

The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud most of the time. Proper earn protection is required. Temperatures vary seasonally in work areas.

Compensation and Benefits

Valley Malt offers competitive wages that will be determined by experience and may include 401k & bonus opportunities, paid time off and disability insurance. Benefit eligibility is dependent on job classification and hours worked. Complete details are outlined in the Valley Malt Employee Handbook. At this time we do not offer health insurance.

Our Values

If you are thinking about applying here, please take a moment to read our core values. If this doesn’t seem like you, or these values don’t resonate with you, then working here wouldn’t be a good idea for any of us. However, if you do share these same values, please let us know when you apply!

• Strive for Excellence: We strive for excellence because great isn’t good enough. We sweat the details because they truly matter. We provide a premium product and therefore need premium service.
• Own it, Fix it, Learn from it: When there is a problem, we talk about it, and we fix it. We are open and honest about mistakes we make but we strive to learn from them.
• Rise by Lifting Others: We enthusiastically work as a team, sharing in the work, and supporting each other to be his or her best.
• Love our Community and Planet: We strive to make our community stronger and more vibrant. We are sustainability-minded – committed to minimizing our negative impact on the environment and maximizing the growth of local farms.

Still Interested? Please apply by e-mailing your resume to andrea@valleymalt.com