Yakima Chief Announces Free Virtual Harvest Experience Worldwide

From Yakima Chief:

YAKIMA, WA , August 4, 2020 – Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), a 100% farmer owned global hop supplier, will host a comprehensive virtual event for the entire month of September available for free and to the public, offering a behind the scenes look at hop harvest along with brewing seminars.

As a company owned by 15 hop growers from across the Pacific Northwest, the harvest season is the heart of Yakima Chief Hops. Each year, they invite brewers worldwide to experience hop harvest and attend educational seminars in person. This is a special tradition that helps to fulfill their mission of fostering deep connections between family farms and the world’s finest brewers.

This opportunity is typically limited to a few hundred select brewing customers and paid attendees through their annual Hop & Brew School. However, with the effects of COVID-19, YCH has announced that they will instead offer the hop harvest experience for free and to the public, virtually.

Lasting the full month of September, the event will feature different sessions each day, including farm and facility tours, interviews with farmers, hop and brewing related educational seminars and new hop variety announcements.

“This is a rare opportunity where we invite the world to see where great beer truly begins and meet the talented people that make it happen” says YCH CEO Ryan Hopkins. “We know that breweries are among the businesses that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19. We want to show our support by offering this event to everyone virtually for the first time ever while keeping our global communities safe.”

Some sessions require fees for mailed materials and have limited availability. Session recordings will be made available, but participants are encouraged to join the LIVE Q&As.

To view the schedule, visit virtualharvest.com. Participants are encouraged to enroll to receive updates.

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Yakima Chief Hops

YCH is a 100% grower-owned global hop supplier with a mission to connect brewers with family hop farms. Operating for more than 30 years, we have become more than a hop supplier. We are leaders of innovation, quality and customer service. We are a resource for brewers, providing solutions-based products and industry leading research. We are advocates of sustainability and meaningful social causes, working to support the environment and communities around us. https://www.yakimachief.com/

Global Hop Supplier Installs Largest Solar Array in State of Washington

YAKIMA, Wash., August 31, 2020 – Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), a 100% farmer owned hop supplier for the brewing industry, has announced their latest solar panel installation for a total of 3,706 solar panels, the largest rooftop solar array in Washington state.

While YCH has offices located across the globe, the company’s headquarters are based in Yakima, Washington, known as the hop capitol of the world. Surrounded by hop fields of local family farms, YCH has multiple facilities across the valley. With the longer days unique to the Pacific Northwest and their passion for sustainability, YCH utilized these buildings to house their own solar project.

YCH’s solar array spans across six buildings, covering a total of 70,000 square feet with 3,706 solar panels and producing 1,414,766 kwh of electricity annually. YCH is able to capture 15% of their entire electricity demands and offset their annual emissions by 1,000 Metric tons, equivalent to providing 170 homes with electricity for one year.

“At YCH, we aim to make more of an impact by making less of one,” said Levi Wyatt, Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator at YCH. “Our operations utilize a significant amount of energy and we are committed to finding ways to lessen our dependency on fossil fuels and finite resources. We also believe in using our business to inspire and influence environmental solutions.”

YCH partnered with Ellensburg Solar to complete the installation of the solar array who have been involved since the first panel was installed back in 2016.

To date, YCH has invested more than 2 million dollars in renewable energy solutions as they work towards energy independence. Additionally, YCH teamed up with local energy suppliers Benton REA and Pacific Power & Light to conduct an energy management assessment. YCH will begin implementation of a 1.2 million kwh energy savings uncovered during the assessment.

To learn more about YCH’s sustainability initiatives, visit: www.yakimachief.com/corporate-social-responsibility/

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Yakima Chief Hops

YCH is a 100% grower-owned global hop supplier with a mission to connect brewers with family hop farms. Operating for more than 30 years, we have become more than a hop supplier. We are leaders of innovation, quality and customer service. We are a resource for brewers, providing solutions-based products and industry leading research. We are advocates of sustainability and meaningful social causes, working to support the environment and communities around us. https://www.yakimachief.com/