News.

Craft beer drinkers can relax.

The hailstorm that hammered the Nelson region on Boxing Day, knocking out as much as one-fifth of this season’s hops crop, won’t have much impact on the price of beer.

That’s according to the co-operative NZ Hops, whose 27 growers produce most of the local hops used by many of New Zealand's 200 craft beer makers.

Brewers around the world will soon be able to source bespoke New Zealand hop oils after NZ Hops announced a new partnership deal with UK-based Totally Natural Solutions (TNS).

TNS is a major producer of hops oils and while they use some New Zealand hops already the new deal will result in a greater range of Kiwi hops being converted to oils and packaged with NZ Hops branding.

NZ Hops has announced the release of a new hop cultivar, Nectaron®.

The hop is a result of 17 years of research and work by a team of horticulture specialists at Plant & Food Research, led by plant geneticist Dr Ron Beatson.

Local human resources, recruitment and business consulting services Agency, Intepeople, recently interviewed Craig Orr as part of their ‘Leading Through COVID-19 interview series’.

Article from Brews News Australia:

New Zealand Hops has recorded a record harvest for the 2020 growing year, though it has expressed concern about the likely impact of COVID-19 on sales.

The co-operative reports its members harvested 1,231,936 kilograms of hops, up 18% on last year. It said the increase was largely due to an increased yield per hectare.

“We also enjoyed a hot and dry summer here in Tasman providing excellent conditions for harvest which began in late February and ended earlier this month,” the report said.

We are so pleased to share with you all, 2020 has been a record crop! We harvested 1,231,936 kilograms of hops, a whopping 18% on last year. This was largely due to an increased yield per hectare, fantastic reward for our highly experienced Co-op growers who have worked long and hard on their farms, to maximise their growing conditions. We also enjoyed a hot and dry summer here in Tasman providing excellent conditions for harvest which began in late February and ended earlier this month.

The timing of the lockdown has caused minimal strife for the only region commercially growing hops in New Zealand.

Chief executive Craig Orr said the industry had been somewhat fortunate that the March 26 lockdown had occurred at the back end of the 2020 harvest.

“Even though we’re only about one percent of the world’s hops output, the investment made by New Zealand Hops into research and development over the decades is one of the reasons why we have a thriving hop industry. We supply to brewers here and in the States, Australia, Europe and Asia. We’re very lucky to be a part of a co-operative business with huge potential.” - Ben Giesen

We wish to give a summary of our actions and plans in place while we navigate through the next few weeks, in a lock-down situation in New Zealand, and explain any implications for you, our valued customers.

As New Zealand’s primary supplier of hops from our 28 farms within the Co-op, we are confirming the safety and well being of our employees and partners remains top priority. Our Government has moved to enforce new restrictions upon us regarding the potential risks that Coronavirus presents. This notice is to advise our position accordingly;

NZ Hops appointed Craig Orr in December as their new CEO and he officially took charge in February.

No stranger to New Zealand’s food and drink industry, Craig has years of experience in building brands and supporting NZ products in the global marketplace. He has his eye on a strategy designed to deliver continued growth for NZ Hops and closer relationships with you, our brewers and customers.

By way of a super quick introduction to a man you’ll be hearing a lot more from, we hit him up with 5 quick questions.

Eoghan Walsh of Beer 52 takes a deep dive into the incredible rags-to-riches tale of New Zealand’s hop industry.

We’re over the moon to announce that food and beverage industry leader, Craig Orr, has been confirmed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Zealand Hops.