Grainswest - Winter 2019

hockey. Just look at the coaches—they weren’t getting paid, and they were like a babysitter, a friend, a parent and a coach all in one. Being a part of the community for so many years really made our family un- derstand the importance of volunteering, and we have made sure our children are involved in some way with volunteering and helping out. It’s the right thing to do. GW: You oversaw the creation of the CMBTC in 2000. Why was creating that so important to Canada’s barley industry? YL: The key was marketing Canada’s barley. We really do have some of the best barley in the world. And the more we can do to make sure people know about it, the better. It’s interesting, even in Europe and Australia—our main competitors—there aren’t technical centres quite like ours. There also isn’t training in other countries like we have. When we open up our one- week Malt Academy training courses, they fill up so quickly it’s hard to keep up. GW : Are training courses offered at the CMBTC recognized in other countries? YL: Yes, in fact, I have seen people after taking our courses and they’re important, influential people in their own barley industries. It means a lot to take the train- ing we offer, and it can really help others become more involved in their malting industry and the barley industry more broadly. GW : Is Canada’s barley still acclaimed abroad? YL: Oh yes. In China, where 1.2 million tonnes of our malting barley went in 2017, the premium beers available have to be made with Canadian malt, because it makes the beer better. Here in Canada, there are lots of small breweries who only want to use our barley, which is another good thing. GW : How has the brewing industry changed during your time with CMBTC? YL: The big thing is that people aren’t as loyal to one brand as they used to be. There are a lot of beers to choose from, and that’s a good thing. The more options there are in flavours, in malt and in hops, the more choices people will have. Also, the smaller the breweries get—like the mi- crobreweries in Alberta—the better they are at creating special beers. It’s interest- ing to see what they do differently. GW : Is there a lot of collaboration across all parts of the barley chain? YL: I like to think of the barley industry as a family. We all support each oth- er—the growers, the researchers, the marketers, the brewers—everyone. We’re all working toward the same goal, which makes any work we do a win-win for everyone involved. GW : You really love being involved in the industry. YL: I do. I am very proud of my work and the work of the CMBTC. You know, I nev- er take sick days and no more than a week vacation every year, because I do like what I do and I want to be involved all the time. GW : What’s the best part of the barley industry? YL: When we bring buyers here from other countries, like China, we can show them the farms the barley grows on and the farmers who do all the work to make sure it’s good barley. They can meet the researchers who create good, high-quality varieties and visit the CMBTC to find out more. We can even show them the port in Vancouver [where] the barley is shipped from. They get to see everything from start to finish. That chain is a really im- portant piece of the Canadian barley and CMBTC story—being able to directly see and visit each part of the chain. I think it’s also something that really sets Canada apart and makes us different. Winter 2019 Grains West 20 “I think of the barley industry as a family. We all support each other,” said Li. PERSON PLACE & THING