Barley used for Koskenkorva Vodka to be stored at Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The Finnish barley variety Botnia, bred to be the main ingredient of the famous Koskenkorva Vodka, will be preserved at the global seed vault in the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, Norway. “The preservation of Botnia barley marks a historical moment for Koskenkorva Vodka,” says Koskenkorva factory manager Antti Snellman.
Finnish barley variety Botnia, originally bred to serve as the main ingredient in Koskenkorva Vodka, has been sent to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for storage. The barley variety will join a comprehensive collection of global plant seeds stored at the vault.
“By switching to Botnia barley we were able to standardise the barley used for making Koskenkorva Vodka. In the process, we improved the quality of the end product – the vodka itself. This is a fine example of industry being dependant on agriculture and its research and development programmes,” points out Koskenkorva factory manager Antti Snellman.
“The preservation of Botnia barley inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault marks a historical moment for Koskenkorva Vodka,” Snellman adds.
In the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the seeds are safe from threats such as flooding and global warming: the vault entrance is located some 130 metres above sea level and, thanks to the permafrost surrounding the facility, the vault temperature would remain safely below freezing even if the vault's cooling equipment fails. Cold storage guarantees that viable, germinable seeds survive for future needs.
Professor Roland von Bothmer, an expert from the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) which hosts the vault, visited Finland to discuss why plant seeds are carefully preserved in the Spitsbergen permafrost. Von Bothmer, speaking at a VIP meeting co-organised by Altia, Boreal, and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), reminded those in attendance that guaranteeing the usability of crops in the future may offer solutions to many unforeseen future problems.
“The climate is changing and we have no way of knowing the types of crops we will need in years to come. Some of the varieties we currently consider average may, after some unexpected changes in climate, provide better yields than more advanced varieties,” von Bothmer explained.
Currently the Botnia barley seeds are in storage at NordGen, waiting to be transported to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The seeds will be delivered to the vault in February 2012.
Koskenkorva Vodka, introduced in 1965, is one of Finland's most famous agricultural products. Koskenkorva is the all-time best-selling alcoholic beverage in Finland, and the top-selling vodka in the Nordic countries. Since 1965 the vodka has been made purely from ethanol distilled from barley. In the early 1990s, the Finnish company Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd. undertook the task of breeding Botnia barley at the request of Primalco, whose operations are now conducted by Altia.
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