Staff News – HPA

Farm Update (Sep 2022)

Pixel3 — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 22:20:02 +0000

Stringing operations are going well across all HPA sites, and are currently on schedule.

Cleaning crews have started at our new pelleting, packaging and storage facility, the former Tobacco Cooperative of Victoria site in Myrtleford, and are making good progress. We expect to be fully operational by 2024.

Myosh training (our new safety system) has continued with a session at BPE, and the reporting function is being utilised well across all sites:

22 hazards were raised in the past fortnight, 92% in the first 48 hours of being identified.
6 of those hazards have already been resolved within the time frame given.

Our Health & Safety Reps (HSRs) have been appointed for BPE and RHG. Thank you to Shannon Orcher and Damien Carr. Both will attend training courses in November.

There have been no incidents over the past 2 weeks and daily toolbox meetings have started, giving the teams more information on movements around the farms, and improving safety.

Featured TAS Brewery (Dec 2023)

Pixel3 — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:02:12 +0000

Who: Hobart Brewing Co

Where: 16 Evans St, Hobart

When: Mon-Thu 3-8pm, Fri 3-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 12-8pm

Like all good things, Hobart Brewing Co started as a conversation over a pint in 2014 between co-founders Brendan Parnell and Scott Overdorf. They decided to create an independently owned beer that locals would love to drink. Beer recipes were drawn up, pilot batches brewed, and their original beer, Harbour Master, was brought into the world.

In 2015 Hobart Brewing Co. moved into the Red Shed, right next to the old IXL jam factory, in an old, abandoned railyard on the Hobart waterfront.

Their taproom has become a regular haunt for lots of locals, and their beers can be found in just about every bottleshop around the state. Their outdoor area is massive, and consists of a wonderful beer garden, regular food trucks, live music, and more.

We recommend trying their Pale Ale. It’s full of Galaxy^®, Vic Secret, Eclipse^®, and Cascade.

Farm Update (Sep 2024)

Pixel3 — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 01:17:12 +0000

Driven by market challenges, our production schedule and operational plan was revised. Their implementation is progressing well, with 63% of the production area now strung, and 32% of first round bine control completed. Whilst challenging, these changes also provide us with the opportunity to continue with our soil health management program of soil remediation, cover cropping and crop rotation/plant renewal.

Plant growth is looking healthy and even slightly advanced in some areas compared to this stage in crop year 2024. In Victoria, the accumulated growing degree days are tracking somewhat above the 3-year average, with Tasmania tracking very close to the 3-year average.

Seasonal rainfall is tracking below the 3-year average in Victoria, but is still slightly up from this stage in crop year 2024. A wetter than average summer is currently forecast. In Tasmania, our gardens are tracking well above the 3-year average after incurring some flood damage in recent months. A significant amount of recovery work has been completed since late August/early September.

Operational staff are excitedly preparing for the various commissioning phases of Hop Central, our new pelleting, packaging and storage facility in Myrtleford. Once the final installation of equipment is complete, we will be hosting and receiving training from our equipment suppliers through to the end of January in order to be ready to process crop 2025.

Sales & Marketing Update

jAmieaDMin27 — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:59:37 +0000

ANZ Sales update

It’s been a busy time for supply chain and the ANZ sales team, invoicing contract completions and supporting customers through the process. We’re starting to see green shoots with some new business wins across large, medium and small breweries, which is generating positive energy in the majority of states and territories. Lindsy is also building relationships and starting to get some traction in New Zealand which remains an opportunity to gain market share despite the headwinds of local NZ hops at very affordable prices.

In December we sold out of Eclipse®, Luna®, Citra® and Mosaic®. We have since replenished the US varieties, and are now using the shortage of Australian varieties to encourage customers secure their supply through contracts for crop 2026 and beyond. We have processed some early contracts for Luna® and the sales team are focused on selling this year’s crop by the end of December 2026 to drive contracted demand and justify planting more acreage for crop 2027.

International Sales update

International sales activity is also picking up, with some personnel from BarthHaas Beijing and Tsingtao scheduled to visit our farms for harvest. They are planning to top up their contracted crop 2026 volumes after harvest, with two large Chinese breweries currently exploring how Australian hops perform in existing products. Our Japanese distributor and seven people from Kirin will also be joining us for harvest.

Customer satisfaction survey results

More than 100 customers completed our biennial customer satisfaction survey in August. Our average satisfaction rating is 86%, and 88% of customers are likely to recommend us to a fellow brewer, but only 46% of customers said HPA is their preferred hop supplier. This resulted in a combined satisfaction score of 73%, which is 2% shy of our strategic target. We will now aim to improve our performance by responding to our customers’ feedback, particularly in relation to regular communication about contracts and drawdowns, more face time with their sales rep, and continued education around Aussie experimental hops and innovative hop products.

Harvest tours

The countdown to Aussie hop harvest has begun! Every March hundreds of brewers make the journey to Southern Tasmania and High Country Victoria to meet our growers, tour our farms and facilities, and learn about our hops. While the majority of activity will take place in Victoria this year, we’re offering to host a limited number of farm tours in Tasmania on Wednesday 4 March and Thursday 5 March. From Monday 16 March to Friday 20 March, brewers can take part in our broader celebration of the journey from paddock to pint, including Hops Academy. One of the world’s leading hop experts, Dr Christina Schonberger, is hosting half-day sessions that will combine foundational hop knowledge, sensory training, liquid hop applications and benchtop trial techniques for sensory, quality and brewing professionals of all experience levels. Check out the full program of events at www.hops.com.au/harvest/

Luna^® launch

We are officially launching Luna^®, formerly known as HPA-033, on Tuesday 3 March. Our new hop will have a prominent presence on our socials and website throughout the following months, as well as industry media platforms. Plus, every brewer who makes the journey to High Country Victoria for a farm tour will receive a limited-edition mixed pack of beers that will showcase the hop’s character across multiple beer styles. Bright Brewery’s annual hop harvest dinner has also been reimagined as the official Luna^® launch party, where guests can enjoy a beer or two with our local growers, and spin the prize wheel for everything from exclusive merchandise to crop 2026 Luna. It’s sure to be a fun evening that brings together innovative hops, exceptional beer, and the best of the High Country.

We’ve also partnered with other members of the BarthHaas group to introduce Luna^® to international markets. Haas will pour a Luna^® beer at the Craft Brewers Conference in April, BarthHaas will feature the hop in a collab beers at Beijing Brew, Craft Beer China Conference & Exhibition, and Korea International Beer Expo in April as well as their Inspiration Range at Brew Asia in October and BrauBeviale in November. Both Haas and BarthHaas will also highlight Luna^® alongside HPA’s other uniquely Australian hops at AusFest – a new series of guided sensory sessions and high-profile collaboration beers launching later this year to coincide with the international arrival of crop 2026. And Hops Connect Canada will showcase Luna^® in a collab beer that will be shipped to their top 100 customers to grow awareness and encourage brewing trials. Together, these initiatives will bring Luna^® directly to brewers around the world and contract demand for crop 2027.

Sales & Marketing Update (Sep 2022)

Pixel3 — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 22:18:08 +0000

Sales update

Export shipments are now 95% completed, with only a small amount left for Europe and Canada.

HPA added a new customer every 4 days through FY22, bringing us to 550 active brewery customers spanning Japan, South East Asia, Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia.

Only months after the completion of pelleting the 2022 crop, only 4.6% remains uncontracted. Forward years remain strongly contracted, although buying has slowed in export markets due to general economic uncertainty in the US and Europe.

A huge thank you to our Customer Service Team who continue to do an exceptional job managing longer than expected delivery times. This includes everything from international and local deliveries to express freight. Crop 2022 is >70% invoiced out to customers already.

Our Aussie hops have stacks of flavour. Now they have stacks of personality too!

The launch of Eclipse^® went so well we decided to treat the rest of our Aussie hops to a brand refresh.

Branding is more important than you might think. On the outside it may seem as simple as a logo, but our brands should embody our entire business, from breeding and growing through to processing and sales.

Aside from their sensational flavours, a strong brand is the next best way to ensure our Aussie hops stand out from the crowd. It also demonstrates we’re an established, credible business backed by industry-leading experts.

Our Aussie hops new brands give our business a more human side, they’re more relevant to brewer’s needs, and they’ll help us reach new customers with whom we can build relationships to grow our business in an ever-changing market.

Prepare to feel a sense of nostalgia as you scroll through our website or this short playlist of videos presenting each of our Aussie hops’ new brands.

The Indies Awards Ceremony

The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) is holding another live-streamed awards ceremony, with crosses to viewing parties across the country. As proud sponsors of the TAS viewing party, we encourage everyone to bring your team, your friends and your family for a good time.

When: Thursday 13 October 2022

Where: The Albert Brewery, 73-75 Albert Road, Moonah

Time: Complimentary Lagers & Tacos from 7.00pm, Awards Ceremony from 8.00pm

There’ll be beautifully brewed lagers by The Albert Brewery and authentic Mexican street food by Taco Taco in the lead up to the awards ceremony. Plus, arrive early and enter a team in the cornhole tournament for your chance to take home a hefty HPA prize-pack. RSVP today!

Sales & Marketing Update (Dec 2023)

Pixel3 — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:03:05 +0000

Sales update

The global hop market remains oversupplied, both in alpha and aroma varieties. Early indicators suggest US growers will be significantly reducing acreage for the second consecutive year in 2024. This situation is putting downward pressure on pricing, including our proprietary hops. In the Aussie context, the brewing industry continues to come under pressure with increasing insolvency among our customers. This is expected to continue for some time as the current economic conditions put persistent pressure on small businesses. While organically growing our coverage and service level here in Australia, we are prioritising an increase in export sales to help us rebound as quickly as possible as conditions improve.

Customer satisfaction survey

We implemented our second biennial customer satisfaction survey in November, with 1 in 5 customers taking the time to tell us how they really feel about our products and service. The overall satisfaction rating was 76%, which is a decrease of 4% on 2021. This result was to be expected given hops are currently in oversupply throughout the beer industry, and brewers are feeling the pinch from increasing overhead costs. Respondents particularly value our reliable service, sales reps, and local produce, identifying our Aussie hops as high-quality, reliable, and unique. They also rated our product quality, range, price, and availability above-average compared to other hop suppliers. Plus, they provided some valuable insights into how we can improve, particularly in relation to quarterly communication around contracts and drawdowns, more information about our leading experimental varieties, and the addition of a news and events calendar on our website.

Even Flow mixed pack

We also launched the Even Flow mixed pack in November. To grow awareness of our range of flowable and fully dissolvable products, we teamed up with Beer Cartel and a bunch of local breweries to create eight beers that successfully demonstrated the performance of Eclipse, Galaxy and Vic Secret Spectrum in beer, alongside Flex, Incognito, HopAid and HopHaze. The pack was available to the general public, but we also sent complimentary mixed packs to more than 350 industry professionals to win over brewing customers around the country.

BrewCon23

After a three-year hiatus, BrewCon returned in August. It was our biggest presence at this keystone education and trade event for the Aussie beer industry in recent years. We generated 72 leads during the event, of which 15 have been converted to sales with a total value of $115K. There are an additional 15 Hoptimiser leads open and awaiting equipment availability before they can be converted to sales with a estimated total value of $100K. The day before BrewCon, we hosted a BarthHaas Hops Academy featuring guest speaker Dr Phil Chou, former Director of Brewing Solutions at John I. Haas. This workshop covered a range of topics from hop chemistry and hop sensory, to the brewing applications of liquid hops and industry trends. There were 75 people in attendance, of which 33 were key decision makers regarding raw materials. We were so overwhelmed by the positive response that we’re doing it all again before BrewCon next year.

Hop harvest

We’re excited to welcome our brewing customers back on farm next year. They get a serious kick out of meeting everyone who contributes to growing the hops they know and love. It helps build their appreciation for the scale and quality of our farming operations, which encourages them to buy more hops. Rest assured we’ll be doing everything we can to have minimal impact on farming operations, including working closely with the farm teams over the next month to identify the best tour routes and develop a list of general instructions for our sales reps who will act as tour guides. We’re also major sponsors of High Country Hop in VIC and Hobart Community Hop in TAS, so head along and enjoy your local celebration of fresh hops, fresh beers, fresh tunes, and fresh air.

Management Update (Sep 2024)

Pixel3 — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 01:22:27 +0000

Hop Central, our new pelleting, packaging and storage facility in Myrtleford, will be commissioned in the coming months. The final build will be completed in November, then we will commence the process of testing all mechanical and electrical systems in December. The commissioning process will conclude in January using hop bales set aside from crop 2024.

The new signage on Hop Central’s tower has drawn interest from locals in the area, who are equally excited to see this project near the final stages. Given the tight timing of the conclusion of the commissioning process in relation to the lead up to our peak harvest period, we will wait to hold an official opening ceremony until pelleting is completed in crop 2025. Stay tuned!

A later-than-expected change in US demand for our crop 2025 Galaxy^® hops has impacted our planned production scheduled. This is the result of an oversupply situation off the back of covid combined with downward trends in beer consumption among the younger demographics, which means brewers around the world are still working through a backlog of previous crop year’s. Accordingly, we have idled additional hectares that we had originally planned to harvest. We will continue to work on the same average forecast per hectare but at a reduced production capacity. Whilst disappointing, this provides us with the opportunity to continue managing our plant and soil health in the idled areas, so they are in peak condition when demand increases.

This production pivot does not change our focus on quality. Our persistent efforts led to improvements in the quality of crop 2024 Galaxy^® hops, and we are aiming for the same result this year. We are collaborating closely with our friends at Haas to maximise future demand and ensure continued international success for our Aussie hops.

We have also agreed to participate in a major Predicative Breeding for Agricultural Futures research study with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in collaboration with the University of WA (UWA). Our involvement is built around understanding post-harvest quality changes in Galaxy^®. The ARC and UWA are currently advertising for PhD candidates for this project, and will be working with our Agronomic Services team to complete this research study over the next 5 years.

There has been a tremendous amount of recovery work completed since the flood event that affected Bushy Park Estates in late August/early September. Thank you to everyone involved in these efforts, and the teamwork shown throughout the incident. Although there was significant flooding, we are thankful that most of the flood-affected areas were already idle areas and there was no lasting impact on the farm.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the leadership team or your manager if you have any questions.

People & Culture Update

jAmieaDMin27 — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:05:44 +0000

Warm welcomes and fond farewells

We’re delighted to welcome several new team members and celebrate some recent role changes:

Tom Meredith joined us in October as Lab Supervisor, based at Hop Central, VIC.
Ben Keir joined us in January as Farm Manager, based at Bushy Park Estates, TAS. We’re pleased that Tom Parry will remain with us until after harvest, ensuring a smooth transition.
Maddy LeCarpentier also joined us in January as Payroll and Finance Coordinator, based at Head Office, TAS.
Christian Montgomery has accepted a new role as Agronomy Technician based in VIC. He will report to Simon Whittock, Head of Breeding & Research.
Mick Jackson has accepted a new role as Processing Facility Supervisor based at Hop Central, VIC. He will report to Michael Monshing, Processing Facility Manager.

Alongside these warm welcomes, we also want to acknowledge the past few months have brought significant change across the business. It’s important to acknowledge recent movements across the business, including a small number of redundancies as we respond to market conditions, as well as some well‑deserved retirements, service milestones, and team members moving on to pursue new opportunities. We sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to HPA, and wish them all the very best in their next chapter.

All staff updates

The next round of all staff updates have been scheduled for February. These sessions are a great opportunity to hear about:

Current business performance
Updates and feedback from the Board
Preparations for the upcoming harvest

Please keep an eye out for session notifications. Your participation is important as these updates help keep us connected across HPA and the broader BarthHaas Group, and give you the opportunity to ask questions.

Employee engagement survey results

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our annual employee engagement survey in December. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us understand what we’re doing well and where we can continue to improve.

We’re pleased to share that the overall results were positive, reflecting strong engagement, connection, and confidence across the organisation. The survey also highlighted several key areas for continued focus, ensuring we keep building on the strengths and opportunities you’ve identified.

A detailed breakdown of the results, and how we are responding, will be shared during the all staff updates in February.

Harvest preparation & recruitment

Recruitment for our 360+ casual harvest workforce is well underway across all farms. We’ve had a fantastic response from returning team members eager to come back for the 2026 season. Their experience with our operations, safety protocols, and harvest workflows will be invaluable.

We also look forward to welcoming new seasonal team members, with induction training scheduled to begin in early March.

Harvest training & safety

Preparation for harvest is progressing strongly, with many initiatives completed or underway to support a safe and efficient season:

Increased employee involvement in risk assessments and training
Elevated Work Platform and Working at Heights training
Monthly general safety inspections across all farms
Updated harvest induction materials and documentation
Completion of equipment servicing and maintenance checks
Harvest supervisor training
Additional on‑site facilities, including lunchrooms and toilets
Theory and practical induction sessions, including in‑field training
Review and refinement of onboarding practices for casual harvest staff

These efforts ensure our people are well‑prepared, well‑supported, and working safely during our busiest time of year.

Featured VIC Brewery (Sep 2022)

Pixel3 — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 22:16:37 +0000

Who: King River Brewing Co.

Where: 4515 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, Whitfield

When: Fri 3-8pm, Sat 12-8pm, Sun 12-5pm

King River Brewing was founded by Nathan and Brianna Munt. The husband-and-wife team started with a small brewery on Brianna’s Father’s tobacco farm in the King Valley, and quickly became obsessed with all things beer and brewing.

The brewery specialises in European-style ales and lagers, but Nathan says “we substitute typically spicy and grassy European hops for locally grown hops wherever possible to keep our beers as Aussie as possible. I feel well connected to your farms given I drive past pretty regularly.”

Their taproom serves up to 12 different core, seasonal and limited-edition beers at a time, plus a tasty menu of expertly paired food including pretzels, bratwurst, nachos and pizza every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. King River’s Red IPA, Pale and Belgian Pale all feature our Aussie hops, but you should also try their Dopplebock which took home the Best Amber/Dark Lager trophy at this year’s Australian International Beer Awards.

King River also make fresh hop beers every year, showcasing different Aussie hops by using the same base recipe. In 2022, they made Eclipse^®, Galaxy^® and Vic Secret fresh hop beers.

People & Culture Update (Dec 2023)

Pixel3 — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:04:06 +0000

New team members

We warmly welcome the following permanent employees who have joined the HPA team since July:

Chris Swersey – International Business Development Manager (11^th Dec)
Rebecca Morrison – Supply Chain Coordinator (11^th Dec)
Melinda Warren – Marketing Coordinator
Katie Crane – Quality & Compliance Manager
Vanessa Twaits – Farm Office Assistant (VIC)
Henry Lush – Agronomy Technician (TAS)
Marc Smith – Farm Hand (TAS)
Lachlan Moate – Farm Hand (VIC)
Stephen McAuliffe – Mechanic (VIC)
James Bonacci – Farm Hand (VIC)
Steven Struthers – Farm Hand (VIC)

Annual reviews

This year, Annual Reviews were recorded in Employment Hero. It was pleasing to see the full participation of our permanent workforce in this process.

We encourage open check-in conversations with your manager throughout the year. If you have questions or concerns, you should initiate a discussion with your supervisor or manager. This can be on a regular or ad hoc basis.

For the question, how would you rate employee attitude and behaviours towards safety at work: 98% of employees were assessed as either “meets” or “Safety Champion”.
For the question, how would you rate employee attitude and behaviours towards quality and continuous improvement: 100% of employees were assessed as either “meets” or “Quality Champion”.

Annual salary reviews were completed for all employees. A gender pay gap analysis was completed across the business. HPA has a zero like-for-like pay gap – this means a 0% pay gap for all women and men undertaking work of equal or comparable value (comparing jobs at the same level).

Diversity & Inclusion

Supporting the implementation of our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, we ran Call It Out workshops during December for all employees. The workshops aimed to empower participants to ‘call out’ inappropriate behaviours, as a bystander, as well as role-model positive, respectful, and constructive behaviours in the workplace. Everyone at HPA will benefit from this program, as we all play a role in creating a positive, safe, and psychologically healthy workplace.

Quality & Food Safety

The HPA Quality Management System is undergoing a renovation to include Food Safety and meet the FSSC global standard. Our Quality and Food Safety Management system is a living document that reflects what we do and why we do it and continues to grow and change as the business does. As we are adding Food Safety to our system, it is a great opportunity to examine our practices from growing to shipping and make sure we are doing all we can to ensure both high quality and food safe hop products. The quality and safety of our hops are built through our everyday practices – everyone has a hand in ensuring we get it right each and every day.