Hops Direct

What Hops Direct does

Hops Direct is a fifth-generation family hop farm (operating as Puterbaugh Farms) headquartered at 686 Green Valley Road, Mabton, Washington, in the Yakima Valley — the principal U.S. hop-growing region. The company sells hop pellets (T90 and hop hash), whole leaf hops, and CO2 hop extract in sizes ranging from 8 oz retail packs to 55-gallon bulk drums, with a catalog of more than 96 SKUs covering both domestic and imported varieties. Its product surface is anchored by two proprietary genetic assets: the registered Belma® variety (discovered on-farm by Stacy Puterbaugh in 2012) and the co-developed Karma™ (EXP25) variety created in partnership with UK-based Charles Faram. Production is vertically integrated — farming, picking (three machines), pelletizing (California T90 mill installed 2003 and expanded 2011), CO2 extraction, nitrogen-flush packaging, and on-site cold storage — with an in-house quality testing lab measuring moisture and essential oil content. The company has a small ancillary Hop Shop line of handmade hop soaps and hop teas.

The business model is direct-to-customer: Hops Direct launched one of the first farm-to-brewer online hop stores in 1997, eliminating the broker/distributor layer and shipping cold-stored product directly to commercial breweries and homebrewers. Pricing is unit-based, with pellets typically $1.50–$6.75 per unit, leaf $6.05–$10.55, and CO2 extract in 10ml, 150g, quart, gallon, 5-gallon, and 55-gallon formats. Distribution is primarily U.S. domestic, with international sourcing (UK via Charles Faram, Germany, New Zealand) but no disclosed international sales footprint. Named enterprise customers include Yuengling, No-Li Brewhouse, Parish Brewing, St. Austell Brewery, Lumberyard Brewing, and Roslyn Brewing — alongside a long-tail base of homebrewer consumers. The company is privately held by the Puterbaugh family, with no disclosed outside investors or M&A activity, and is recognized by Hop Growers of America (2023 Outstanding Service; 2024 Beyond The Bine) and Yakima Chief Hops Top Cut Awards (Silver 2019, Platinum 2022, Silver 2024).

Name

Hops Direct

Legal name

Hops Direct, LLC

Website

https://hopsdirect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hops Direct is a fifth-generation family hop farm in Yakima Valley, Washington, selling pellets, leaf, and CO2 hop extract directly to commercial breweries and homebrewers through its own e-commerce store, including the exclusive Belma® and Karma™ proprietary varieties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brewing Ingredients (Hops)

NAICS

Sugar Beet Farming (111991)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Hop Farming (AFAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Hop wholesale
• Brewery ingredients
• Hop pellets
• Craft brewing supplies
• Hop farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Mabton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hop Product Sales: Direct sales of hop pellets, leaf hops, hop extract, and hop hash to breweries and homebrewers through e-commerce platform. Products shipped cold-stored directly from farm.
2. Hop-derived Consumer Products: Sales of hop soaps and hop teas through the Hop Shop collection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hops Direct is a fifth-generation family hop farm that grows, processes, and ships hop pellets, whole leaf hops, and CO2 hop extract directly from its Yakima Valley farm to commercial breweries and homebrewers. The company offers a portfolio of more than 96 hop products including domestic U.S. varieties and imported hops, plus exclusive proprietary varieties such as Belma® and Karma™. All hops are pelletized, packaged in nitrogen-flushed mylar, and held in on-site cold storage until shipment to preserve freshness and flavor.

Product overview

Hops Direct is a fifth-generation family hop farming operation (Puterbaugh Farms) based in Yakima Valley, Washington, offering a direct-to-consumer and direct-to-brewer sales model. The product portfolio centers on three core hop product forms: Hop Pellets (T90 and hop hash), Hop Leaf, and Hop Extract (CO2 extraction). The company serves both commercial breweries and homebrewers with domestic US-grown hops and imported varieties from New Zealand, Germany, and other hop-growing regions. Key exclusive offerings include Belma® (discovered by the Puterbaugh family in 2012), along with a Hop Shop line of value-added products including handmade soaps and hop teas. Products are sold online directly from the farm with cold-chain storage and nitrogen-flushed packaging to ensure freshness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Belma: Exclusive hop variety developed by Stacy Puterbaugh in 2012; named after the road where the family homestead and farm has stood since the 1930s; a daughter of Magnum and Kitamidori, imparting strawberry, citrus, melon, and grapefruit notes

Products and services

• Hop Pellets Pelletized hops (T90 pellets and hop hash) available in domestic and imported varieties, packaged in multi-layered high-barrier soft-pack mylar bags, vacuum-sealed with nitrogen flush, and held in cold storage until delivery. Available in 8 oz, 1 lb, 5 lb, 11 lb, and 44 lb package sizes.
• Hop Leaf

Quantifiable outcome

• Freshness guaranteed through cold storage on farm until delivery
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles Faram (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partnership with UK-based Charles Faram to create Karma™ (EXP25) hop variety. Cross-continental collaboration combining Puterbaugh Farms' Yakima Valley growing expertise with Charles Faram's UK hop breeding capabilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hopsteiner: Global hop merchant and breeder with breeding programs, pellet production, and international supply. Sells the same varietal categories as Hops Direct but at greater scale and broader geographic reach to large brewers.
• John I. Haas: Major U.S. hop processor and breeder supplying Bravo, Citra, Mosaic, and proprietary varieties globally. Competes with Hops Direct across pellet, extract, and proprietary varietal categories for large and craft brewers alike.
• BarthHaas: World's largest hop supplier with hop pellets, extracts (including CO2), and breeding programs. Hops Direct's CO2 hop extract product directly competes with BarthHaas's extract lines in the brewing ingredient market.

Direct peers

• Yakima Chief Hops: The largest U.S. hop grower cooperative, supplying the same domestic and imported varietals (Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Belma-adjacent) to commercial breweries. Directly comparable product portfolio, customer base, and varietal innovation pipeline; Hops Direct has even earned Yakima Chief Hops' Top Cut awards.
• Roy Farms: Multi-generation hop farm in Yakima Valley, Washington. Operates in the same growing region with a vertically integrated model spanning growing, pelletizing, and direct brewery sales, making it a direct comparable to Hops Direct's Puterbaugh Farms.
• Charles Faram: UK-based hop breeder and supplier that co-developed Karma™ (EXP25) with Hops Direct. Operates a similar breeder-grower model supplying both domestic and international craft brewers, making it a direct strategic and operational peer.
• Crosby Hop Farm: Fifth-generation hop farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley offering pellet, leaf, and extract products direct to brewers. Comparable family-owned, vertically integrated farm-to-brewer model with branded varietal portfolio.
• Indie Hops: Oregon-based hop grower focused on craft brewers with proprietary varietal development (e.g., Meridian, Loral). Comparable model combining exclusive variety breeding with direct-to-brewery sales.

Others

• Hop Growers of America: Industry trade association that has awarded Hops Direct in 2023 and 2024. Relevant as the governing body that sets varietal standards, agronomic research, and market data underpinning every U.S. hop farm peer listed above.

Regional players

• New Zealand Hops Ltd: Grower cooperative supplying New Zealand-grown varieties (Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron, Wakatu, Pacifica) — all of which Hops Direct also resells as imported hops. Comparable supplier role but in a different geography; a channel partner/competitor rather than a domestic rival.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hopsdirect
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Hops-Direct-LLC/229405927075135
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopsdirect
• Xx.com/hopsdirect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hops Direct