Charles Faram

What Charles Faram does

Charles Faram is a privately held, grower-owned UK hop supplier founded in 1865 and headquartered in Worcester, UK, serving brewers of all sizes globally. The company sources hops from around the world and distributes nine proprietary hop varieties it has developed in-house — Archer, Emperor, Godiva, Harlequin, Jester, Most, Mystic, Olicana, and Opus — along with Cryo Hops® cryogenically processed hop products. Its physical infrastructure spans cold stores and offices in Worcester (UK), Yakima WA (US hop capital), Ontario (Canada), and Poland, with regional websites serving the UK, USA, Canada, EU, and Rest of World. The company's core technology is the "Farm to Faram" Wellhopped Quality Programme: an integrated quality assurance system covering grower assistance, assurance stamps, in-house hop development, cold-chain integrity, and auditing from farm through customer delivery.

The product portfolio has been deliberately broadened into a one-stop-shop model for brewers: beyond hops, Charles Faram distributes complementary inputs through partnerships with Lallemand and Fermentis (yeast), Crisp and Weyermann (malt), Murphy & Son (brewing aids), and Abstrax, Yakima Chief Hop Liquids, and Totally Natural Solutions (hop extracts, fruit and cannabis flavourings), plus packaging and laboratory supplies. Supporting platforms include the Hop Oracle variety database, a Hop Development Programme for breeding agronomically sound varieties from farm to commercialisation, and Charles Faram Farms, a wholly-owned UK grower partnership connecting growers and brewers.

Revenue is generated through B2B one-time sales of hops and complementary brewing inputs via three channels: direct sales (phone and email), an e-commerce online shop for UK customers, and a distributor network. Forward hop contracting is offered as an additional service. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company's customer base is described as "brewers of all sizes" with no named enterprise logos — consistent with a long-tail SMB and mid-market distribution rather than concentrated enterprise accounts. No funding rounds, M&A, or leadership changes are recorded, indicating a stable, founder-/grower-aligned private operating posture.

Name

Charles Faram

Legal name

Charles Faram

Website

https://charlesfaram.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Charles Faram is a grower-owned UK hop supplier founded in 1865, distributing nine proprietary hop varieties and complementary brewing inputs (malt, yeast, extracts, brewing aids) to brewers of all sizes from offices in the UK, USA, Canada, and Poland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brewing Ingredients Supply

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Hop Farming (AFAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Hop supply
• Brewing ingredients
• Hop varieties
• Brewery supplies
• Hop distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Malvern

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hop Sales: Sale of hops from around the world including proprietary varieties developed by Charles Faram such as Archer, Emperor, Godiva, Harlequin, Jester, Most, Mystic, Olicana, and Opus.
2. Non-Hop Product Sales: Sale of complementary brewing products including hop extracts and oils, malt, yeast, brewing aids, fruit, flavouring, sugar, packaging, and laboratory supplies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Charles Faram is a grower-owned B2B supplier of hops and complementary brewing ingredients to breweries worldwide. Its core offering is a portfolio of nine proprietary UK-bred hop varieties (Archer, Emperor, Godiva, Harlequin, Jester, Most, Mystic, Olicana, Opus) plus Cryo Hops® cryogenically processed hop products, sold alongside malt, yeast, brewing aids, hop extracts and oils, fruit/flavourings, sugar, packaging, and laboratory supplies. The company operates UK, US (Yakima), Canadian and Polish bases and distributes through direct sales, an online shop, and a distributor network under a multi-stage quality assurance programme.

Product overview

Charles Faram is a grower-owned hops supplier offering a portfolio of proprietary hop varieties (Archer, Emperor, Godiva, Harlequin, Jester, Most, Mystic, Olicana, Opus) alongside complementary brewing ingredients. The company operates a one-stop-shop model providing hops (whole cone and Cryo Hops), hop extracts and oils, malt (Crisp, Weyermann), yeast (Fermentis, Lallemand), brewing aids (Murphy & Son), fruit/flavourings, and laboratory equipment. Supporting platforms include the Hop Oracle (variety database), Hop Development Programme (variety breeding), and Charles Faram Farms (grower partnership), all unified under a Farm to Faram quality assurance system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Charles Faram Farms: UK grower group partnership created to strengthen links between growers and brewers.

Products and services

• Hops (Whole Cone) Whole hop cones available in multiple proprietary varieties including Archer, Emperor, Godiva, Harlequin, Jester, Most, Mystic, Olicana, and Opus, with varying alpha acid, beta acid, and oil profiles for brewing applications. Sold to breweries globally.
• Cryo Hops® Cryogenically processed hop product (proprietary Cryo Hops® brand) designed for enhanced flavor and aroma extraction in brewing applications.
• Hop Extracts and Oils Concentrated hop extracts and essential oils for brewing, sourced from partners including Abstrax, Totally Natural Solutions, and Yakima Chief Hop Liquids.
• Malt Brewing malt supplied through partnerships with Crisp and Weyermann brands, with accompanying specifications and certificates of analysis.
• Yeast Dry yeast products sourced from Fermentis and Lallemand for fermentation in brewing applications.
• Brewing Aids Brewing auxiliary products sourced from Murphy & Son for various brewing processes.
• Fruit, Flavouring and Sugar Flavouring ingredients including fruit purees, natural flavourings, and brewing sugars for beer enhancement.
• Packaging and Laboratory Packaging materials and laboratory equipment for brewing operations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• FermentiscoreOthersPartnership for dry yeast supply. Fermentis is listed under the Yeast section of the website as a partner for brewing yeast products.
• LallemandcoreOthersLallemand brewing yeast partnership referenced on the website under Yeast section.
• CrispcoreOthersCrisp malt listed as a malt supplier partner on the website under the Malt section.
• Weyermann®coreOthersWeyermann malt supplier partnership for malt products.
• Murphy & SonminorOthersBrewing aids supplier partnership under Brewing Aids section.
• AbstraxcoreTechnology or IntegrationAbstrax is a partner for hop extracts, fruit and cannabis flavourings, listed under the Hop Extracts, Fruit & Cannabis Flavourings section.
• Totally Natural SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner for hop extracts and flavourings solutions under Hop Extracts, Fruit & Cannabis Flavourings section.
• Yakima Chief Hop LiquidscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner for hop extracts under the Hop Extracts, Fruit & Cannabis Flavourings section.
• Charles Faram FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Faram Farms is a UK grower group partnership created to strengthen the links between growers and brewers. This is a grower-brewer network partnership that is integral to the company's supply chain.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crosby Hop Farm: Crosby Hop Farm is a US grower-owned hop supplier based in Oregon that sells proprietary and conventional varieties directly to brewers. It mirrors Charles Faram's grower-owned positioning, quality-first branding, and craft-brewery focus.
• BarthHaas: BarthHaas is a leading German-headquartered hop supplier with global breeding, processing, and distribution operations. It competes head-to-head with Charles Faram in supplying aroma and bittering hops to breweries in Europe and globally and offers a similarly broad hop portfolio plus hop extracts.
• Yakima Chief Hops: Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) is one of the largest global hop suppliers, grower-owned and headquartered in Yakima WA. It directly competes with Charles Faram in supplying proprietary and third-party hop varieties to breweries worldwide, with overlapping Cryo Hops® and T-90 pellet offerings and a comparable grower-owned model.
• BSG Craftbrewing (Brewers Supply Group): BSG Craftbrewing distributes hops, malt, yeast, and adjuncts to craft breweries across North America. It competes with Charles Faram in the multi-ingredient brewing supply segment and is a natural comparator for the company's one-stop-shop distribution model.
• Hopsteiner: Hopsteiner is a globally integrated hop company offering breeding, processing, and distribution of proprietary and conventional hop varieties. It directly overlaps Charles Faram's grower-to-brewery supply model and competes for brewer accounts in Europe and North America.
• John I. Haas: John I. Haas is a major US-based hop breeder, producer, and supplier with proprietary varieties such as Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. It competes directly with Charles Faram across the craft and large-brewery hop supply chain and operates breeding, processing, and global distribution.

Others

• Crisp Malting Group: Crisp is a UK-based maltings business whose malt products are distributed by Charles Faram under a supplier partnership. It is an adjacent peer serving the same UK brewing customer base with a complementary ingredient category (malt vs. hops).
• Weyermann Specialty Malts: Weyermann is a leading German maltster that supplies specialty malts to breweries worldwide and is itself a partner brand distributed by Charles Faram in the UK. It is comparable as an adjacent specialty brewing ingredient supplier with overlapping craft brewer customers, though in malt rather than hops.
• Lallemand Brewing: Lallemand is a global yeast supplier to the brewing industry and is also a Charles Faram yeast partner. It is an adjacent, enabling peer whose products flow through Charles Faram to brewers, sharing the same craft brewery customers but in a different ingredient category.

Emerging players

• Indie Hops: Indie Hops is an Oregon-based hop supplier focused on proprietary aroma varieties for the craft segment. It overlaps Charles Faram's branded-variety strategy but at a smaller, more regionally concentrated scale, making it a niche emerging peer rather than a global direct rival.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/charlesfaram
• Facebookfacebook.com/CharlesFaram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Charles Faram