Pellet Power: Giving Spent Grain a Second Life at BrewCycle

At BrewCycle, we’re always experimenting with new ways to turn Manchester’s brewery leftovers into something wonderful. Our latest adventure involves a humble but mighty machine called a pelletiser. We’re looking into getting one to help us transform spent brewery grain into tidy little pellets that are easier to store, handle and use as a growing base for our gourmet mushrooms.

If you’ve ever seen brewery grain up close, you’ll know it’s a bit of a handful — soggy, heavy and quick to spoil. That makes it tricky to reuse on a larger scale. By drying and pressing it into pellets, we can stabilise the material, make it easier to mix with coffee grounds and other ingredients, and create the perfect texture for mushroom growing.

It’s a small technical step with big ripple effects. A pelletiser will help us cut waste, produce more consistent results and create even more opportunities for local training, employment and community food projects. In other words, it’s another way we’re cycling good ideas back into Greater Manchester’s circular economy. Stay tuned — we’ll keep you posted on our pellet-powered progress.