Hopshire Farm & Brewery

What Hopshire Farm & Brewery does

Hopshire Farm & Brewery is a privately held, family-owned craft brewery and farm operation founded in 2013 by Chris and Holly Rakow in Freeville, New York, operating from a single 1771 Dryden Road taproom that serves the Ithaca, Cortland, and broader Central New York corridor within roughly 50 miles. Its core product is craft beer brewed with New York State-sourced ingredients — malted grain, hops, honey, ginger, maple syrup, and apples — supplied through partnerships with local farms and a nearby cider mill, with spent grains cycled to a neighboring farm for animal feed. The site also produces farm-grown produce and Angus beef, sold through an on-site farm stand, CSA program, and local farmers markets.

The business has built a multi-revenue taproom model that layers a pizza-focused kitchen (12-inch pies, gluten-free option, ice cream sandwiches) onto beverage sales, supplemented by curated local cheeses and hard cider. Community programming is a deliberate extension: weekly yoga ($15 drop-in), Wednesday trivia, Friday live music, blues jams, and event-space rental transform the taproom into a recurring third place. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer at the Freeville location and at farmers markets; there is no app, no API, and no e-commerce infrastructure beyond a Square-based gift-card page.

Commercially, the company is founder-controlled with no external investors or disclosed funding, employs 11–50 people, and markets through Facebook, Instagram, a monthly email newsletter, and a website event calendar. Pricing is unit-based across both beverages and events (e.g., Yoga & Sound Bath at $40 per person). The model emphasizes local sourcing, community gathering, and cross-promotion with regional producers rather than scale or distribution-led growth.

Name

Hopshire Farm & Brewery

Legal name

Hopshire Farm and Brewery

Website

https://hopshire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hopshire Farm & Brewery is a family-owned craft brewery and farm in Freeville, NY, producing New York-sourced beers and offering on-site pizza, live music, trivia, yoga, and a CSA program to Ithaca-area residents and Central New York visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Farm brewery
• On-site taproom
• Community events
• Local food sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Freeville

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hopshire Farm & Brewery operates a farm brewery producing craft beer brewed with locally-sourced New York State ingredients, sold primarily through its on-site taproom in Freeville, NY. The brewery is supplemented by an on-site pizza kitchen, hard cider produced in partnership with a nearby cider mill, drop-in yoga classes, recurring trivia and live music programming, a CSA and farm stand, private event space rental, and locally-made cheese and cider offerings.

Product overview

Hopshire Farm & Brewery is a family-owned craft brewery and farm operation offering a single unified product portfolio centered around craft beer production. The core offering is their craft beer brewed with New York-sourced ingredients. Supporting this are multiple add-on services including an on-site pizza kitchen, yoga classes, trivia nights, live music events, and a farm stand/CSA program. The brewery operates as a community gathering place, with the taproom serving as the primary venue for food, beverage, and entertainment offerings. Event space rental and partnerships with local food producers round out the service ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Craft Beer Variety of craft beers brewed with locally-sourced New York State ingredients including malted grain, hops, honey, ginger, and maple syrup. Seasonal and year-round offerings, including Shire Ale, sold through the on-site taproom.
• Hard Cider Hard cider produced through partnership with a nearby cider mill using 100% New York-grown apples, sold through the brewery tasting room.
• Farm Kitchen / Pizza Menu On-site kitchen offering 12-inch pizzas made with house-made dough, sauce, and meatballs using fresh vegetables from the farm. Menu includes Cheese, Margherita, Pepperoni, Meatball and Ricotta, rotating specialty pizzas, Smoked Kielbasa with Kraut, and ice cream sandwiches. Gluten-free crust available upon request.
• Yoga Classes with Lindsay Weekly yoga classes focused on healthy skeletal alignment and creative sequences led by breath, taught by Lindsay Graham, a 200hr RYT with over 700hrs of YTT. Drop-in attendance welcome at $15 per session, held Tuesdays 6-7:15 PM.
• Trivia Night Weekly DJ Trivia Night hosted by Dave Ashton, held Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 PM, featuring trivia questions across categories including history, pop culture, and science, accompanied by craft beer and food service.
• Live Music Events Regular live music programming featuring various local and regional bands, with weekly performances including Friday night concerts and Thursday events. Styles range from blues jams, jazz bands, folk, rock, and brass band performances.
• CSA and Farm Stand Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and on-site farm stand offering farm-grown produce at local farmers markets, with spent grains from brewing supplied to a nearby farm and Angus beef available for sale.
• Event Space Rental Private event space available for bookings, featuring outdoor patio areas and indoor facilities suitable for gatherings, celebrations, and community events.
• Local Food Products Local food products offered in the taproom through partnerships, including cheeses from local creameries (notably a Shire Ale cheese made with Hopshire's beer) and hard cider made with 100% NY-grown apples through a cider mill partnership.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Farms (Honey, Ginger, Maple Syrup Suppliers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurchases honey, ginger, maple syrup and other ingredients from local farms to support New York State agricultural community and ensure locally-sourced brewing ingredients
• Nearby Cider MillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce hard cider using 100% New York grown apples, expanding product offerings beyond beer
• Local CreameriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with multiple local creameries to sell cheeses in the tasting room. One creamery uses Shire Ale to produce a popular Shire Ale cheese
• Local Farm (Spent Grains Recipient)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpent grains from brewing process go to a farm 2 miles away for use as animal feed, demonstrating sustainable waste management practices

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brewery Ommegang: A larger New York craft brewery (Cooperstown) producing Belgian-style ales with on-site taproom and events. Comparable as a NY farm-adjacent craft brewery with destination hospitality.
• Mill House Brewing Company: A New York farm brewery (Hudson Valley) combining brewing with on-site dining and events. Closely comparable operating model of farm brewery + food + events.
• Brooklyn Brewery: Iconic New York craft brewery with on-site taproom and events. Comparable as a NY craft beer brand with destination hospitality and community programming.
• Ithaca Beer Company: An independent craft brewery located in Ithaca, NY, the same regional market as Hopshire. Directly comparable as a similarly sized NY craft brewery with taproom and on-site food service.
• Two Roads Brewing Company: Independent Northeast craft brewery with large destination taproom, food, and event programming. Comparable as a similarly structured craft brewery with diversified on-site revenue.
• Tree House Brewing Company: An independent craft brewery known for its destination taproom experience and community-driven retail model. Comparable as a taproom-centric craft brewery with strong local following.
• Keegan Ales: Family-owned NY craft brewery (Kingston) with on-site taproom and food service. Comparable as a similarly-sized family-owned New York craft brewery.

Broad incumbents

• New Belgium Brewing Company: A large national craft brewery with taproom, food, and event programming. Comparable as a broader craft brewery incumbent with overlapping on-site hospitality model.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Company: A top US craft brewery with destination taprooms, food service, and live music programming. Comparable as a large-scale craft brewery operating an experience-led on-site model.

Emerging players

• Grimm Artisanal Ales: A smaller Brooklyn-based craft brewery with taproom and limited distribution. Comparable as a niche craft peer focused on local NYC-adjacent markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HopshireBrews
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopshirebrews
• Xx.com/hopshirebrews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hopshire Farm & Brewery