What Roy Farms does

Roy Farms Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural producer headquartered in Moxee, Washington, operating across 3,000+ acres in the Yakima Valley since 1907. The company grows and processes four primary product lines: conventional and organic hops (16 conventional and 13+ organic varieties, ~4.6 million lbs annually), organic blueberries (~2.4 million lbs), cherries (~2.3 million lbs), and apples (~8 million lbs), supported by 48 controlled-atmosphere rooms, 78,817 sq ft of freezer capacity, and four hop production facilities totaling 172,752 sq ft. Its flagship technical differentiator is the proprietary Harvest Fresh Pellets® process, which converts whole-cone hops into nitrogen-flushed Mylar-packed pellets within 36-48 hours, bypassing the conventional baling step entirely; the pelleting line is powered 100% by rooftop solar (257,855 kWh/yr) installed in 2016. Vertical integration spans breeding (Latitude 46 managing partner), growing, picking, pelletizing, packaging, on-site cold storage, and third-party pelleting services.

The business model is predominantly B2B direct-to-customer: hops are sold directly to breweries of all sizes via the Adjustable Contracting program (minimum 2,200 lb/year, claimed up to 25% cost savings) and to domestic and international merchants; blueberries, cherries, and apples are sold into fresh and processed channels. Customer concentration is low by design, with no single named anchor customer. Roy Farms holds an unusually dense certification stack — B-Corp, USDA Organic, Salmon-Safe, SQF, GlobalG.A.P., OK Kosher — and co-founded the American Dwarf Hop Association (ADHA) and American Organic Hop Growers Association (AOHGA). The company is led by Chairman Leslie Roy and President/CEO Michael Roy (fifth generation), has no external funding rounds, and operates as an S Corporation. Headcount runs 51-100 year-round core staff (avg 323), scaling to 570 at peak and over 1,000 temporary seasonal workers during harvest.

Name

Roy Farms

Legal name

Roy Farms Inc.

Website

https://royfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Roy Farms is a fifth-generation, family-owned agricultural company in Moxee, Washington that grows, processes, and directly sells premium hops (under its proprietary Harvest Fresh Pellets® brand), organic blueberries, cherries, and apples to breweries, merchants, and fresh-produce buyers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Hop Production

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Berry (except Strawberry) Farming (111334)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Hop Farming (AFAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Berry Farming (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries) (AFAGACAD)

Keywords

• Premium hop production
• Organic blueberry farming
• Apple cherry cultivation
• Agricultural pelleting services
• Cold storage warehousing

Headquarters

HQ city

Moxee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hop Product Sales: Roy Farms grows, processes, pelletizes, and packages hops for sale directly to brewers. Products include conventional hops (over 16 varieties), organic hops (14+ varieties), dried whole cones, and Harvest Fresh Pellets. The company sells directly to breweries of all sizes and to domestic and international merchants.
2. Blueberry Sales: Roy Farms grows and sells three varieties of organic blueberries (Draper 51%, Duke 41%, BlueGold 8%). Blueberries are harvested mechanically at night when temperatures are cooler to minimize fruit damage and sold into fresh and processed blueberry markets.
3. Apple and Cherry Sales: Roy Farms grows and sells multiple varieties of apples (Gala, Honeycrisp, Envy, Jazz, Granny Smith, Fuji) and cherries (Skeena, Sweetheart, Lapin, Benton, Chelan, Bing, Rainier). Fruit is handpicked at peak ripeness following strict quality parameters.
4. Third-Party Pelleting Services: Roy Farms offers third-party pelleting services to select customers who use the company's facilities and skilled professionals. Pelleting customers benefit from the Harvest Fresh Pellets process as well as food safety certifications.
5. Cold Storage and Warehousing Services: Roy Farms built its first cold storage facility in 1986. It offers controlled atmosphere, freezer, cold, and dry storage rooms for customer product storage, providing quality control and traceability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Roy Farms grows, processes, pelletizes, and packages premium hops, organic blueberries, apples, and cherries across more than 3,000 acres in the Yakima Valley. Its flagship offering is the proprietary Harvest Fresh Pellets® brand, which converts whole-cone hops to nitrogen-flushed pellets within 36–48 hours of harvest. The company also operates on-site cold storage, freezer, and dry-storage warehousing, and offers third-party contract pelleting to selected customers.

Product overview

Roy Farms operates as a diversified fifth-generation agricultural company producing premium hops, organic blueberries, apples, and cherries from its Yakima Valley, Washington operations. The core product portfolio centers on hops, offered as conventional and organic varieties across 29 named varieties (16 conventional, 13 organic), with a proprietary Harvest Fresh Pellets® brand that processes hops from field to pellet in 36-48 hours. Additional products include organic blueberries from three varieties, multiple apple varieties, and sweet cherry varieties. Services include on-site warehousing (cold storage, freezer, dry storage), third-party pelleting services, and an Adjustable Contracting program offering flexible farm-direct pricing for hops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harvest Fresh Pellets®: Proprietary hop pellet brand processed from field to pellet in 36-48 hours, vacuum-sealed in Mylar foil bags with nitrogen flush to preserve harvest-fresh aroma.

Products and services

• Harvest Fresh Pellets® Proprietary brand of hop pellets processed from whole-cone hops to pellets within 36–48 hours, dried at 125°F, pelletized on-site, vacuum-sealed in Mylar foil bags and flushed with nitrogen to preserve vine-fresh aroma and flavor. Sold to breweries of all sizes.
• Conventional Hop Varieties Sixteen conventional hop varieties including Adeena®, Amarillo®, Azacca®, Bravo®, Cascade, Cashmere, Centennial, Chinook, Citra®, CTZ, El Dorado®, Mosaic®, Pekko®, Strata®, Summit™, and Warrior®, sold as whole cones or Harvest Fresh Pellets to commercial and craft brewers.
• Organic Hop Varieties Thirteen USDA Organic-certified hop varieties including Organic Adeena®, Organic Azacca®, Organic Cascade, Organic Centennial, Organic Chinook, Organic Citra®, Organic Ekuanot®, Organic El Dorado®, Organic Idaho 7™, Organic Mosaic®, Organic Pekko®, Organic Sabro®, and Organic Strata®.
• Organic Blueberries Three varieties of organic blueberries (Draper 51%, Duke 41%, Bluegold 8%) sourced from tissue culture, grown using precision farming with raised beds and weed mat, mechanically harvested at night for fresh and processed blueberry markets.
• Apples Multiple apple varieties including Gala (29%), Honeycrisp (25%), Envy™ (18%), Jazz™ (17%), Granny Smith (6%), and Fuji (5%), hand-picked following strict safety and quality parameters.
• Cherries Sweet dark cherry varieties including Skeena™ (21%), Sweetheart (17%), Lapin (15%), Benton® (12%), Chelan™ (11%), Early Robin® (10%), Bing (8%), and Rainier (6%).
• Warehousing Services On-site cold storage, controlled-atmosphere rooms, freezer rooms, and dry goods storage facilities offering product quality control and traceability for customer storage needs.
• Third-Party Pelleting Services Contract pelleting services for select third-party customers, providing access to Roy Farms' Harvest Fresh Pellets process and food safety certifications including SQF.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hops processed from field to pellet in 36 to 48 hours, preserving vine-fresh aroma
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Latitude 46 (Managing Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Roy Farms is the managing partner of Latitude 46, a Pacific Northwest hop breeding company. Through this partnership, Roy Farms has developed and introduced proprietary hop varieties including Adeena® (ADHA 1940), Azacca® (ADHA 483), Pekko® (ADHA 871), and Summit™. This breeding partnership enables Roy Farms to offer exclusive hop varieties to its customers.
• Indie HopscoreTechnology or IntegrationRoy Farms was selected as the exclusive Washington-state grower of Strata® hops (X-331), a premium hop from Indie Hops' breeding program. This exclusive arrangement allows Roy Farms to offer a differentiated variety not available from other Washington growers.
• American Dwarf Hop Association (ADHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Roy Farms in 2007, the American Dwarf Hop Association is a hop breeding program focused on developing dwarf hop varieties. Roy Farms co-founded the organization alongside other growers and breeders to advance dwarf hop genetics.
• American Organic Hop Growers Association (AOHGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Roy Farms in 2010, the AOHGA was established to build a market for organic hops and establish transparency in organic beer standards. Roy Farms also lobbied the USDA to require the use of organic hops in certified organic beer production.
• BFI Native SeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with BFI Native Seeds to implement a biodiversity conservation plan starting in 2015. The partnership involved restoring 37 acres of fallow land by removing invasive species and reestablishing native grasses, bushes, and wildflowers to enhance farm biodiversity.
• South American Agricultural ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoy Farms partnered with industry-leading consultants from South America to advance blueberry growing practices, enhance precision in irrigation and fertigation processes, and implement proprietary irrigation technology farm-wide starting in 2012.
• Sustainable Business Consultants (Seattle, WA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRoy Farms worked with Sustainable Business Consultants in Seattle, WA to create an employee satisfaction survey in 2016, establishing a baseline for measuring employee engagement and identifying areas for improvement.
• Cowiche Canyon ConservancyminorOthersRoy Farms committed to a three-year pledge to support the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy's capital campaign to purchase 200 acres of Snow Mountain Ranch, preserving shrub-steppe landscape in the Yakima Valley.
• La Salle High SchoolminorOthersRoy Farms sponsors a student at La Salle High School through the Roy Farms Scholarship Fund, covering tuition and fees for a student selected annually. Brizeyda Robledo was the 2016 scholarship recipient.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jackson Farms: Idaho-based hop grower that developed Idaho 7™. Directly comparable as a regional hop grower whose proprietary varieties Roy Farms cultivates under license.
• CLS Farms: Moxee, Washington-based hop grower that developed El Dorado®. Directly comparable as a Yakima Valley hop grower that licenses proprietary varieties to other producers, including Roy Farms.
• Yakima Chief Hops (YCH Hops): The largest US hop grower cooperative, comprising multiple Yakima Valley farms. Directly comparable to Roy Farms as a vertically integrated hop grower, processor, and pellet supplier with proprietary brands (Yakima Chief Ranches breeding program).
• John I. Haas (HAAS / BarthHaas Group): Global hop breeder, grower, and processor with deep Yakima Valley operations. Directly comparable as a hop-focused breeding company that licenses proprietary varieties (e.g., Citra®, Mosaic®, Sabro®) to growers including Roy Farms.
• Hopsteiner: Multi-generational hop breeding and growing company with global operations. Directly comparable as a hop breeder and producer that Roy Farms partners with to cultivate varieties like Bravo®.
• Indie Hops: Oregon-based hop grower and breeding company that developed Strata® (X-331). Directly comparable as a craft-focused hop breeder; Roy Farms is the exclusive Washington grower of its flagship variety.

Regional players

• Stemilt Growers: Washington-based family-owned grower and packer of apples, cherries, pears, and stone fruit. Comparable on the tree-fruit side of Roy Farms' portfolio, though it does not grow hops.
• CMI Orchards: Major Washington apple grower-marketer with a multi-variety apple portfolio. Comparable to Roy Farms' apple business in scale and varietal mix, but does not overlap in hops or berries.
• HBF International (Cottle Farms): North Carolina-based blueberry and strawberry grower/packer with global distribution. Comparable to Roy Farms' blueberry operations on the fresh and processed berry side, but East Coast-based rather than Pacific Northwest.

Broad incumbents

• Driscoll's: Largest global berry marketer with proprietary genetics across strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Comparable to Roy Farms' organic blueberry line in category and channel, though far larger and global in scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Roy Farms