HOP’S grown in the Derwent Valley will have their processing outsourced to Victoria after the purchase of a new facility by Hop Products Australia.
The new $20 million facility located in Myrtleford will see the centralisation of pelleting and packaging from the Tasmanian and Victorian operations.
Tasmania grows 400+ metric tonnes of hops per year, while the Victorian farms operated by HPA make up the remainder of the approximately 1650 metric tonnes per season.
The $80 million expansion of acreage by HPA over the last decade has included the purchase of a new farm in Victoria.
Hops will continue to be grown in the Derwent Valley where they will be baled and transported to Victoria for processing by the beginning of the 2024 season, where they estimate to have increased crop output to 2400 metric tonnes.
HPA insisting the new processing plant in Victoria will not mean a loss of jobs for staff in the existing Bushy Park facility.