Increasing the profit margin of fermented beverage companies in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia

通过NSERC应用研究与技术伙伴关系(ARTP)选项1项目，不列颠哥伦比亚省的Okanagan学院将与Okanagan山谷的啤酒厂、酿酒厂和葡萄酒厂合作进行应用研究，重点是寻找创新的解决方案，以减少发酵资源，包括水、谷物和能源、水和生物质废物的数量，并创新将废谷物转化为生物燃料的方法，这些公司可以利用这些燃料为其设施中的设备提供动力或实现盈利。我们的行业合作伙伴将实现短期经济效益，因为他们将采用基于证据的创新来降低制造成本、公用事业账单和税收，并为市场开发新产品。这些创新将增加我们合作伙伴有限的利润率，同时通过保护他们所依赖的供水来确保他们的长期可持续性。为了应对这一区域挑战，我们将(A)与至少十个区域合作伙伴合作，在其设施内开发和采用节约成本和资源的创新和技术，并开发、测试和商业化发酵副产品；(B)鼓励该地区其他公司采用最佳实践和技术解决方案，并与基洛纳市和行业协会合作传播成果；以及(C)培训26名OC学生，内容涉及酒精饮料制造效率、尖端技术和研究、工业用水和废水管理问题及解决方案，以及发酵副产品的创新利用--这些技能都是区域发酵饮料行业需求很高的技能。

Via this NSERC Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) Option 1 project, Okanagan College in British Columbia will partner with breweries, distilleries and wineries in the Okanagan Valley on applied research focused on identifying innovative solutions to reduce fermentation resources including water, grain and energy, the amount of water and biomass waste, and to innovate ways to upcycle spent grains to biofuels, which the companies can use to power equipment in their facilities or monetize. Our industry partners will realize near-term economic benefits as they adopt evidence-based innovations to reduce manufacturing costs, utility bills and taxes and develop new products for market. These innovations will increase our partners' narrow profit margins while securing their long-term sustainability by protecting the water supply they depend on. To address this regional challenge, we will (a) collaborate with a minimum of ten regional partners to develop and adopt cost and resource saving innovations and technology at their facilities, and develop, test-market and commercialize fermentation by-products; (b) encourage the adoption of best practices and technological solutions by other companies in the region disseminate results in partnership with the City of Kelowna and industry associations; and (c) train 26 OC students in alcoholic beverage manufacturing efficiency, leading-edge technology and research, industrial water and wastewater management issues and solutions, and innovative uses of fermentation by-products - all skills in high demand by the regional fermented beverage industry.