|
WHO: |
Bang Brewing and Sturdiwheat, Perennial Percent Pioneers |
||
| BUSINESS TYPE: |
Microbrewery and Pancake and Bread Mixes |
||
|
SIGNATURE PRODUCTS: |
Organic Ales and Lagers Brewed with Kernza, Kernza Pancake and Crepe Mixes |
||
|
WHERE: WEBSITE: |
Saint Paul and Red Wing |
By Michelle M. Sharp, Founder and Content Creator of Meet the Minnesota Makers
Does your favorite pancake mix or locally-crafted brew filter stormwater runoff, improve water quality and work towards a healthier future for Minnesota’s rivers?
If it carries the Perennial Percent label, it already has.
What, you ask, is this label? This new food and beverage identification highlights both an ingredient and a regenerative agricultural practice at the same time. This label empowers consumers to choose a climate positive ingredient and encourages increased agricultural production of the product.
Managed by The Land Institute in Kansas, Perennial Percent is the first label for consumer packaged goods (CPGs or finished products that you’ll find on grocery or liquor store shelves) that identifies the inclusion of a perennial grain as a part of the recipe. Kernza®, an intermediate wheatgrass, is the rising star of this labeling program.
As a perennial grain that resprouts, Kernza does not require annual planting. In fact, each plant produces grain for three to five years. This reduction in labor protects the prized layer of topsoil essential for thriving crops. Skipping the steps of tilling and planting reduces runoff of nutrient-rich topsoil into our water system.
Hana Fancher from The Land Institute explains how the Perennial Percent label connects consumers with the research and development already invested in perennial grains. It drives awareness so consumers recognize the agricultural practices their purchase supports. The Perennial Percent label tells consumers as much about a product as seeing a B Corp certification label tells them about a company’s practices. Producers may include a QR code on their packaging to link consumers to the Kernza.org website to explore Kernza’s unique properties. “Farmers are eager for a new tool that promotes demand and builds interest,” states Hana. “Perennial Percent gives them an opportunity to improve their soil and build a reliable market for this resourceful product.”
To qualify for the Perennial Percent label, CPG producers must include at least one percent of Kernza grain among the ingredients in their recipe. “Perennial Percent is one strategy among many to grow the market and help farmers move their product,” shares Colin Cureton, the Director of Adoption and Scaling at the University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative. “I hope people are excited to see these real life examples of continuous living cover crops being something we can choose to buy in the grocery store.” The Forever Green Initiative partners with Minnesota’s rural communities to research, develop, scale and find commercial markets for sustainable agricultural crops.
Minnesota is a hub of innovation for this emerging product. “At least half the Kernza seed available for planting is produced by Minnesota companies,” shares Colin. “For food and beverage producers, four of the six distributors in the United States are right here.”
A key challenge for any new product is finding its audience. Consistent support from food and beverage producers and consumers makes all the difference in Kernza being able to take root (pun intended).
Bang Brewing in Saint Paul and Sturdiwheat in Red Wing include Kernza across their product lines. Initially both Sandy and Jay Boss Febbo of Bang Brewing and Missi and Suzanne Blue of Sturdiwheat developed recipes that highlighted Kernza’s naturally nutty flavor and cinnamon undertone. Through their Kernza lager or Cinnamon Kernza pancakes, people enjoy a perhaps unexpected burst of flavor from a grain. With the success of their initial recipes with Kernza as the star ingredient, they recognized an opportunity to be leaders in a piece of the regenerative agriculture puzzle. By including a small amount of Kernza grain or flour in a wider range of products, they could significantly increase the demand for the grain without changing their base product line and the flavors their customers already loved.
Meet Sturdiwheat
Sturdiwheat is a Minnesota heritage brand that has produced thousands of bags of pancake and bread mixes in downtown Red Wing for over 80 years. “There’s a lot of pride in being a 
Minnesota company,” states Missi Blue, who now stewards the company along with her mom Suzanne Blue. “Adding Kernza to our ingredients is another way of supporting the state and the community that supports our business.”
Missi grew up along the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin and is a passionate advocate for the river’s and lake’s water quality. A former vice chair of the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA), Missi is an active member of the board and the science committee. LPLA is a champion of Kernza perennial grain, hosting educational and advocacy events to protect the waterways that make Red Wing shine.
Her deep connection to Red Wing’s local waterways piqued Missi’s interest in Kernza. After learning about Kernza through her work with LPLA, Missi wanted Sturdiwheat to be part of the solution for growing the grain’s market. “Kernza is a perennial grain grown right here in Minnesota to protect our beautiful waterways. Sturdiwheat uses a lot of flour to make our products,” reflects Missi when asked about her motivation to incorporate Kernza into Sturdiwheat’s product line. “Being nimble enough to address a problem when you discover it is part of the fun of being a small business. [After learning about Kernza] we got to work right away to develop mixes including Kernza flour.”
Meet Bang Brewing!
Within a 30,000 bushel grain bin in the middle of Saint Paul, Sandy and Jay Boss Febbo know where their grains and hops they brew come from. They have 
crafted each batch of beer with organic and sustainably-farmed ingredients since opening in 2013. When asked why, Sandy answers, “Individual actions matter.” Jay nods and adds, “We look to be as responsible as possible. Every life decision is an opportunity to consider how you can do better, how you can minimize your footprint and environmental impact while increasing the benefits for the community.”
Bang Brewing first brewed with Kernza for The Land Institute’s annual meeting in 2017. “Everyone assumed we would bury Kernza behind hops and other ingredients,” shares Sandy. “We decided we needed to know what this grain tastes like to really understand how we can best use it. Some people were afraid that it would have a grassy taste, that it wouldn’t stand up as the star ingredient. It turns out that Kernza is such a beautiful ingredient. We were thrilled it could be showcased.”
The third brewery to open in Saint Paul, Bang Brewing did things differently from the start. “We came to brewing because we enjoy beer and we enjoy working in the kitchen together,” says Sandy. “Owning a microbrewery, becoming a brewing collaborator with Patagonia and educating customers about Kernza were not part of my expected career path. I wouldn’t change a thing.” Bang Brewing is the only taproom in Minnesota to be one of Patagonia Provision’s Regional Taproom Partners. This program is part of Patagonia’s efforts to fight our environmental crisis through agriculture.
To read the rest of this story in the Fall 2025 issue of Edible Minnesota’s, visit their website at: www.edibleminnesota.com.
Get In Touch
Visit Bang Brewing year round. Outdoor seating available seasonally. Hours, current beer menu and information about their pollinator garden and other sustainability efforts at 
https://www.bangbrewing.com/
Order pancake, bread, muffin and dessert mixes from https://www.sturdiwheat.com/ Check your grocery store shelves for the Perennial Percent label on their two pound pancake and crepe mixes.
Ready to explore Perennial Percent for your food and beverage recipes? Explore https://kernza.org/ and the Forever Green Initiative https://forevergreen.umn.edu/
Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com or follow @meettheminnesotamakers on Facebook and Instagram to discover the small business owners leading Minnesota on a tasty sustainable path forward. Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive.
