OB Beer Hosts 'Beer Lees Upcycling Cooking Class'

Bae Hajun, CEO of OB Beer (second row, center left), and Min Myungjun, CEO of Reharvest (second row, center right), are taking a commemorative photo at the "Beer Box Upcycling Cooking Class" held on the 20th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] OB Beer announced on the 21st that it held a ‘Beer Lees Upcycling Cooking Class’ where employees made pizza using byproducts from OB Beer’s flagship brand, Cass beer, in celebration of ‘Earth Day (April 22).’

The cooking class, held under the theme of ‘Food Upcycling for Earth’s Recovery,’ was attended by 11 OB Beer employees, including CEO Bae Ha-jun and Natalie Borges, Vice President of Purchasing and Sustainability Management.

‘Upcycling’ is the process of adding design and usability to waste resources to transform them into high value-added products, gaining attention as a new alternative in eco-friendly business.

The cooking class began with a lecture by Min Myung-jun, CEO of Reharvest, a food upcycling specialized startup. OB Beer employees took the time to understand the meaning, current status, and importance of food upcycling, which adds new value to discarded byproducts, through Min’s lecture.

Participants experienced food upcycling firsthand by making pizza dough using beer lees generated during the Cass beer brewing process. ‘Beer lees’ are byproducts naturally produced during the mashing process of malt wort in beer brewing, rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making them highly valuable as food ingredients.

OB Beer signed a business agreement with Reharvest in November last year and is developing various food products using beer byproducts. In January, together with Reharvest, they launched a beer lees energy bar through the crowdfunding platform Wadiz, confirming its marketability.