A new company is hoping to quench the thirst for a key ingredient in B.C.’s growing craft beer sector.

The BC Hop Company in Abbotsford is building a processing facility that will include new technologies currently in use in Europe, in an effort to provide the B.C. industry with a consistent supply of high-quality and local dry hops. 

Jati Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, and member of the legislative assembly in B.C. for Abbotsford-Mission Simon Gibson, on behalf of B.C. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick, announced $285,000 in funding for the Regional Hops Drying Kiln project through the Growing Forward 2 Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation program. The funding commitment was announced today at a BeerBQ event at the BC Hop Company with hop fields in full bloom in the background.

The funding will be put towards innovative pieces of equipment that will kiln dry the hops under controlled conditions. The process helps reduce rancidity and the degradation of alpha acids and essential oils improving product colour and cone structure of the dried hops. The technology is new to Canada and the goal is to produce a superior, world-class product so producers can remain competitive in both the local and international markets.

Growing Forward 2 is a five-year agreement that provides a $3-billion, federal-provincial-territorial government investment in innovation, competitiveness and market development.

The Canada-BC Agri-Innovation program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. Program information and applications are available at: http://iafbc.ca/funding-opportunities/innovation/

Quotes:

Jati Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Mission–Matsqui–Fraser Canyon –

“The Government of Canada is proud to support innovation and growth in the agriculture sector. Craft beer is becoming more and more popular across Canada, and fueling resurgence in the production of high-quality Canadian hops. We look forward to seeing these innovative techniques of hops production in action.”

Abbotsford-Mission MLA Simon Gibson, on behalf of Norm Letnick, B.C. Agriculture Minister –

“The B.C. government supports strategic investments in innovation that helps grow the agri-food industry. Cheers to a local company for implementing a new technology that will benefit the entire B.C. craft beer sector, and we wish them great success with their new venture.” 

Dwayne Stewart, general manager, BC Hop Company Ltd. –

“We are very grateful for this funding that will help us obtain and install the most innovative hop processing equipment in the world. 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.”

Learn More:

BC Hop Company: http://www.bchop.ca/

For more information on Growing Forward 2 programs in British Columbia, visit: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/growing-forward-2

For more information on Growing Forward 2, visit: http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/growing-forward-2/?id=1294780620963