Loudoun is Home to the First Hops Processing Operation in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Historically, hops have been grown and processed in the Northwest, with Oregon, Idaho and Washington being the top players. With beer becoming an emerging industry in Virginia, expanding our hops production and processing is a natural next step. At a special event in Loudoun County, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Loudoun is leading the way, with the first-ever hops processing facility in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Black Hops Farm has chosen Loudoun as the location of their new venture, Lucketts Mill Hopworks. In addition to the processing facility, Lucketts Mill will devote 15 acres to hops, making it the largest hops yard in Virginia. The company will provide hops processing services for the region, investing $1 million into Loudoun and creating 11 jobs in the county. The Commonwealth of Virginia is partnering with Loudoun County and Black Hops Farm, by providing a $40,000 grant through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. this amount will be matched by Loudoun, for an $80,000 total investment.
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture Todd Haymore visited Lucketts Mill Hopworks along with Governor McAuliffe. Haymore praised Loudoun County, saying, “there is not a county in the state that is more committed to helping grow the rural economy.” Loudoun Economic Development’s Agricultural Business Development Officer Kellie Hinkle said, “This is a big win for Loudoun. We already have the highest concentration of wineries in the state, and this is a big step toward creating a similarly strong farm brewing industry.”
Jonathan Staples of Black Hops Farm said that the support he has received from the state has accelerated his project by several years, and he’s already looking toward the future, saying that his ultimate goal is to make “Virginia the hops capital of the East Coast.”
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See the Governor’s announcement below:
Governor McAuliff’s full speech: