Hop Products Australia (HPA) has kicked off its 2018 harvest, starting at its Rostrevor Hop Gardens farm in Victoria, before starting at the Bushy Park Estates farm in Tasmania next week.
HPA is Australia’s largest hop grower and accounts for around 90 per cent of Australia’s total hop production; HPA farms have been growing hops for over 150 years in Tasmania and for over 120 years in Victoria.
The company said that it is expecting to see an increase in this year’s hop harvest, with an estimated yield of 1445 metric tonnes. This forecast would represent a 21 per cent increase on last year’s harvest and a 100 per cent increase over the last four years.
HPA’s Managing Director, Tim Lord said: “This is a very exciting time for us on farm and as a business, as HPA has recently invested heavily in order to see the operation and yield grow year upon year.
“As Australia’s largest hop grower and supplier, we own and manage each step of the supply chain, from new variety development in the breeding garden, growing the crop, all the way through to final packaging and distribution. We’ve created the shortest path possible between farm and brewer, to deliver the highest impact in beer.”
This year’s harvest will span five weeks, with around 300 seasonal workers expected to help harvest around 560 hectares. HPA has grown seven different varieties of hop which will be used by both domestic and international brewers, the hop varieties include: Galaxy, Ella, Enigma, Super Pride, Topaz, Vic Secret and Cascade.