Our Story

Dave and Sean started with the idea that hop farming could be done a little differently and that directly serving craft brewers from a farm waaay down at the bottom of the Earth was possible. Our idea was to have an absolutely no compromises focus on flavour and aroma. And at the same time to pursue groundbreaking research into breeding, growing, harvesting and processing with the goal of turning that learning into actions that perform brilliantly in finished beer.

We’ve begun to realise those results with unrivalled flavour and aroma that keeps getting better. We are committed to optimising every step of the process, from field to foil in pursuit of improvement. We’ve custom-built our own processing facility to have the coolest mill temps and lowest residual oxygen. Every part of our processing is engineered to preserve the super-fresh, just-harvested aromas in our pellets without concern for throughput or other traditional processing compromises of high-volume facilities. A gentle and cool journey from field to foil in less than 72 hours minimises oxidation and volitisation of all those appealing aroma compounds. Our gentle processes create pellets that disperse easily and ensure the full spectrum of hop compounds found at harvest are preserved and end up in your beer.

From the start, we’ve collaborated directly and meaningfully with amazing craft brewers all over the world. Our relentless focus on direct collaboration ensures anyone can access expert insights and guidance. Our uncompromising standards and consistently appealing flavours mean every brewer has access to lots that truly excite them.

Breeding Programme

Our cutting edge breeding programme is operated in partnership with Garage Project Brewery in Wellington. We have pioneered a new approach to hop breeding that prioritises flavour and aroma in finished beer above all else. Unsurprisingly, we found that a groundbreaking craft brewery shared our vision to singularly focus on flavour and had the beer R&D skills to compliment our hop R&D focus. A lot of hard work, clever process and trialling goes into finding exciting new hop selections. From searching through thousands of seedlings, to intensive sensory analysis and trial brewing, we are constantly in search of exciting new hops that taste amazing in beer. Contact us if you’d like to know more.

Sustainability

We believe in kaitiakitanga (stewardship) of our land, knowing that we are responsible for its health and vitality. As momentary custodians of this remarkable piece of land, we seek to do it justice. Exceptional hops can only come from healthy soils. We follow regenerative farming practices, grow spray-free hops, use varied inter-row plantings, and take care of our soil.

We are conscious of the life cycle and CO₂ intensity of our hops and do everything we can to reduce our impact on the environment. We are particularly proud of our spray free and regenerative agricultural practices that result in our hops having far lower CO2e emissions per kilogram than the average Northern Hemisphere producer, even when including the ocean freight needed to get to a brewery in North America or Europe.

We have never previously used any fungicides or insecticides on our hops (specifically including all that are now banned in the EU) and never will. We’re really proud that our on-farm practices and supply chain choices allow us to sustainably deliver hops to brewers around the world.

Contracting and Support

Our contracting is simple with industry-leading flexibility and lot selection available at modest minimum volumes. We don’t require a down payment for contracted volume and breweries pay for contracted hops as they ship. Brewers can pull from their contract allocation as needed throughout the year with quick and easy ordering through our web portal.

We have easy ordering, responsive support and expert guidance that delivers the attention and answers you need to brew great beer. Everyone from industry legends to new entrants gets the same direct and meaningful dialog to help find the perfect lot for your beer.

Our Farms

Freestyle Hops sits at the top of Te Tauihu (the South Island) of Aotearoa, New Zealand in Nelson’s iconic Moutere Valley. We're slightly to the left of Nelson in the ancient clay gravels of Sunrise Valley, at the head of Nelson's iconic Moutere Valley, renowned for the flavours and aromas of its vineyards, orchards and hopyards. We also have hops from our newest location, Nelson Lakes Farm, which is situated on the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park, about 2 hours south of our Sunrise Valley home. This is an exciting opportunity for us to get you more hops, new varietals and to highlight exciting new terroir.