Maris Otter Is Saved from Disappearance

In 1992, British grain merchants H. Banham Ltd and Robin Appel Ltd acquired the exclusive rights to market Maris Otter barley. Once widely grown for brewing, the variety had declined sharply during the 1980s as farmers adopted newer barleys with higher yields and stronger disease resistance. Its genetic purity had also deteriorated, and commercial plantings had nearly disappeared. Banham and Appel preserved Maris Otter as a specialist malting variety rather than allowing it to vanish from cultivation. They organized a program of careful reselection, propagated grain that remained true to the original variety, controlled the supply of certified seed, and contracted farmers to grow it for maltsters and breweries. Their stewardship allowed Maris Otter to survive as one of the few malting barleys marketed internationally by variety and preserved its close association with traditional British ale.