Riverbend Malt House earns 2023 Living Wage Certified Employer Status

Riverbend Malt House may not be among the country’s larger malting operations — in fact it’s a tiny business compared to the big boys. However, this little Appalachian-region craft malting company, located in Asheville, NC, stands tall when it comes to compensating its employees.

For the sixth consecutive year, Riverbend Malt House has earned Just Economics’ Living Wage Certified Employer status for paying all of its 16 employees a salary at or above the living wage rate established by the county they operate in. Additionally, Riverbend continues to pay 100 percent of employee health insurance premiums, commencing on the first day of employment.

Riverbend Malt used in WV

In West Virginia, Weathered Ground Brewery is a regular Riverbend customer, using Riverbend’s premium malts in many of its best beers. Last year, Brilliant Stream used Riverbend malts in a Charleston WV homebrew club competition with great results.

This fall, Brilliant Stream is procuring Riverbend’s new Avalon malt and sponsoring a competition with the Kanawha Valley Homebrew Club in Charleston, WV. Avalon malt is produced from the Avalon barley variety recently developed by Virginia Tech’s agriculture programs.

Because Riverbend’s malt is made in small batches with barley grown close-by in Mid-Atlantic states, it is noticeably fresh. From our experience, that freshness makes quite a difference in the beer made with it.

Riverbend supports paying a living wage

“Riverbend is proud to continue its longstanding policy of paying certified living wages in 2023,” says CEO Scott Hickman. “We do it because it’s the right thing to do, and beyond that we enjoy the benefits of a higher quality, more motivated employee team with lower turnover.”

Since 2007, Just Economics has worked to educate and advocate for a just and sustainable local economy that works for all in Western North Carolina. Its Living Wage Certification program was developed to help local businesses define “living wage” in the evolving economic context of Western North Carolina and to provide independent certification of living wage claims by local companies.

Living Wage Rate for Buncombe County, NC.

March 2023 = $20.10/hr.
For One Person Working in Buncombe County, North Carolina (Asheville) – 2023