The Kernza^® Network

In 2025, the General Mills organic brand Cascadian Farm^® joined the Perennial Percent™ initiative, incorporating one percent Kernza^® perennial grain into its top-selling cereals, Honey Oat Crunch, Honey Oat Crunch with Almonds, Raisin Bran, and Hearty Morning Fiber. General Mills began working with Kernza in 2014, collaborating alongside The Land Institute and Forever Green at the University of Minnesota. Their organic brand, Cascadian Farm, later launched the first nationally available cereal made with Kernza in 2019, Climate Smart Kernza Grains Cereal. Cascadian Farm continues to show interest in Kernza because it can help improve soil health, enhance water quality, and provide wildlife with a habitat to thrive.

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Sturdiwheat makes delicious, all-natural bread, pancakes, desserts, coatings, hot cereal, and gluten-free mixes using whole grains, nuts, and seeds. All Natural Mixes. Small Batch Mixes. Made in Minnesota. Enjoyed Since 1939.

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In 2021, we started using Kernza® as an adjunct ingredient to replace traditional malted barley and other cereal grains in our beer. Kernza® is of particular interest to Upslope because it is a perennial grain with greater carbon sequestration potential, lower water use, and unique flavor when compared to annual cereal grains.

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Perennial Pantry exists to bring delicious, climate positive food staples to your kitchen. An offshoot of Sprowt Labs, Perennial Pantry is a direct to consumer brand offering dehulled grain and flour.

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In partnership with Patagonia Provisions, we created two Northwest-style beers, Long Root Pale Ale and Long Root Wit. These beers were made from organic ingredients and feature the first commercial use of Kernza, a perennial grain which thrives without pesticides. It uses less water and removes more carbon from the atmosphere than annual grain, this is what originally sparked our interest in the use of Kernza. After years of brewing with Kernza, we also know now that it produces delicious beer.

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Fresh Energy’s Center for Pollinators in Energy partners with leading food and beverage companies in creations that pair Kernza with honey harvested from flowering solar farms.

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Our specialty is working with sprouted grain. We wanted to sprout kernza^® to see what we could do with it and developed a Sprouted Kernza^® cracker and put it on Amazon. It quickly attracted interest and sales. Customers wanted to buy Kernza^® from us so they could work with it at home. We then offered a sprouted kernza^® flour for our customers and this too became a very popular product for us.

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Five years ago we hosted an artist in residence who was a master baker and baked Kernza^® bread for visitors to taste at a public event. We are working to add Kernza^® to our current offerings.

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We have used Kernza^® in pancakes, waffles, breads, bars and grain salads in the cafe and on our fanmous Heirloom Tomato Sweet Corn BLT on Kernza^® focaccia at the Minnesota State Fair. We also included a Kernza^® recipe in the Birchwood Cafe Cookbook published in 2015. By featuring Kernza^® on our menu and the Kernza^® story in our communications, we can connect our community to the food we eat with the awareness that our food choices can and do have an impact on the world around us. We are inspired by the perennial agriculture paradigm and Kernza^®'s benefit to water and soil quality, climate change, community health and well being. We enjoy the collaborative nature of all the partners at the table working together to bring the supply chain to fruition. And it tastes great too!

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Bang Brewing began brewing with Kernza® perennial grain in 2017 and was the first brewery to include it in its entire beer line-up with the launch of its Perennial Percent series in 2020.

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In 2016, we released the first commercial product made with Kernza, Long Root Ale. Grown regeneratively & organically, Kernza restores soil and sequesters carbon - a solution to the climate crisis.

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