Fueling craft beer boom, feds hand out seed money to B.C. hops processor
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
BC Hop Co. to invest in new technology originally developed in Germany
Locally-grown hops are a key ingredient for B.C. craft brewers. PHOTO: Liana Salanta, via Wikimedia Commons
ABBOTFORD, B.C.—The federal government is continuing to feed the Canadian craft brewing scene with a more than quarter-million dollar investment in a southern B.C. hops processor.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced it will invest $285,000 in the BC Hop Co., an Abbotsford, B.C. business that supplies the province’s brewers with locally-grown dry hops.
The company plans to invest the money in new processing equipment—the first of its kind in Canada—which reduces the rancidity and the degradation of alpha acids in dry hops, helping to improve colour and cone structure. Developed in Germany, the new technology uses indirect heat to dry the hops, allowing for quicker processing and superior quality, according to BC Hops.
“This valuable support is critical to the success of our facility as we continue to work with our partner farmers on this exciting and innovative project,” the company’s general manager, Dwayne Stewart, said.
