Hops farmer wins Agri-Innovation Award

Josh Herbin blames his mom.

If she hadnt encouraged him to source out some local hops for their home brew needs he would never have won the very first Agri-Innovation Award for Atlantic Canada.

Mom said lets try and grow our own hops for making our own beer and we had to order seed from the West Coast, said the lanky 24-year-old entrepreneur from Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

That was two years ago and Josh developed a business plan focused on growing Maritime hops for local microbreweries. He proposed less cost and a way to increase the local angle in the marketing scheme.

I planted an acre last year and will try a few more varieties this year he told the Prince Edward Island ADAPT Council annual meeting and conference in Charlottetown Friday (March 13).

Im hoping to market my hops to other microbreweries in Atlantic Canada as well.

The Pump House brewery in Moncton (New Brunswick) was first on board.

Hops are not commercially available on the East Coast and Herbin sees a growing local market for the plants that grow about 12 feet high.

His website is lazyacres.

Acadia University supports local food for the cafeteria and he told the conference many veggies come from the university gardens grown and tended by some of the 1,000-student population. The Guardian