What Willamette Valley Hops does

Willamette Valley Hops, LLC is a premium hop product distributor headquartered in St. Paul, Oregon, within the Willamette Valley — the principal US hop-growing region. Founded in 2008 as a privately held LLC with 11–50 employees, the company distributes traditional hop pellets, advanced hop extracts, and proprietary hop varieties to craft brewers and beverage manufacturers across North America. Its portfolio spans commodity-grade pellets, advanced products such as INCOGNITO liquid hop extracts, LUPOMAX concentrated lupulin pellets, HopKick cold-side soluble extracts, and the Spectrum line — sourced via core distribution relationships with John I. Haas / Haas Innovations and a proprietary variety (McKenzie, C-148 c.v.) developed by the West Coast Hop Breeding collective of Oregon family farms.

The company's underlying technology centers on hop processing and hop-derived aqueous extraction — specifically, methods that produce cold-side soluble, flowable, variety-specific extracts designed to deliver true-to-type hop flavor without vegetative material, enabling reduced beer loss and extending hop applications into seltzers, RTDs, hop waters, and teas. The McKenzie variety adds a sustainable-breeding dimension, being bred for organic growing with reduced water and pesticide inputs.

Willamette Valley Hops monetizes through a multi-channel distribution model: direct enterprise sales via US Territory Managers, global mid-market reach through the Lupulin Exchange marketplace, and SMB/individual self-serve ordering through the company website. Pricing is quote-based and explicitly carries no contract minimums, positioning the company as accessible to brewers of all sizes. Customer segments span craft brewers (primary), beverage manufacturers producing seltzers, RTDs, hop waters, teas, and non-alcoholic beverages (primary), and organic brewers (secondary). Adjacent revenue comes from herbs and tea ingredients used in flavor-infused craft beer production.

Name

Willamette Valley Hops

Legal name

Willamette Valley Hops, LLC

Website

https://willamettevalleyhops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willamette Valley Hops is an Oregon-based hop product distributor serving craft brewers and beverage manufacturers across North America. It distributes traditional hop pellets, advanced hop extracts (LUPOMAX, INCOGNITO, HopKick), and the proprietary McKenzie variety via Territory Managers, the Lupulin Exchange marketplace, and direct online ordering with no contract minimums.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brewing Ingredients

akta.pro primary industry

Hop Farming (AFAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beverage Concentrates, Syrups & Mixers Wholesale (AFAIAGAF)

Keywords

• Hop products distribution
• Brewing ingredients
• Hop pellets
• Hop extracts
• Craft brewing supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Willamette Valley Hops distributes a portfolio of hop products and advanced hop solutions to breweries and beverage producers. Core offerings include traditional hop pellets, advanced hop extracts (HopKick, INCOGNITO, LUPOMAX), and the proprietary McKenzie hop variety, plus specialty herbs and teas for flavor-infused craft brewing. The company serves craft brewers and beverage manufacturers including seltzers, RTDs, hop waters, teas, and non-alcoholic beverages with no contract minimums.

Product overview

Willamette Valley Hops is a premium hop product distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio of hop products and brewing ingredients. The core offerings include traditional hop pellets alongside advanced hop products including INCOGNITO (liquid hop extracts for maximum flavor concentration), LUPOMAX (concentrated lupulin pellets with standardized content), HopKick (cold-side soluble hop extracts for non-alcoholic beverages), and proprietary McKenzie hops bred for organic sustainability. The company also supplies herbs and tea varieties for flavor-infused craft beers. No minimum contract requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HopKick: A 100% hop-derived aqueous extract, clear and flowable, variety specific and true-to-type. Designed for addition to the cold side of beverage operations for hop flavor and aroma in beverages beyond beer including seltzers, RTDs, and hop waters.
• INCOGNITO
• LUPOMAX
• McKenzie

Products and services

• Hop Pellets

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 month shelf life for HopKick when unopened and refrigerated

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• West Coast Hop BreedingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest Coast Hop Breeding is a collective of family-owned farms in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Willamette Valley Hops distributes McKenzie, the first proprietary hop variety from this breeding program. McKenzie was bred specifically for organic growing conditions in Oregon with reduced water and pesticide use.
• John I. Haas / Haas InnovationscoreTechnology or IntegrationJohn I. Haas (parent company of Haas Innovations) is a leading hop breeding and processing company. Willamette Valley Hops distributes proprietary products including LUPOMAX pellets, HopKick extracts, and INCOGNITO hop products developed by Haas Innovations.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Yakima Chief Hops: Yakima Chief Hops is the largest grower-owned hop supplier in North America, distributing premium hop varieties and advanced hop products to brewers worldwide. It is the most direct competitor to Willamette Valley Hops in the US hop distribution market, with overlapping product categories (pellets, extracts) and shared craft brewer customer base.
• BSG Craftbrewing: BSG Craftbrewing is a wholesale supplier of brewing ingredients including hops, malt, and yeast to craft breweries. Comparable to WVH as a craft-focused ingredient distributor with specialty hop offerings, though broader in product portfolio (malt, yeast, adjuncts).
• Crosby Hop Farm: Crosby Hop Farm is an Oregon-based hop grower and distributor offering proprietary hop varieties and advanced hop products to craft brewers. Highly comparable to WVH in geographic positioning (Willamette Valley), customer base (craft brewers), and product portfolio (proprietary varieties, branded pellets).
• Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is a wholesale supplier of brewing ingredients including malt, hops, and adjuncts to craft brewers and homebrewers. Comparable to WVH as a multi-channel brewing ingredient distributor serving craft brewers, with overlapping customer segments and similar self-serve plus sales-rep distribution model.
• Roy Farms: Roy Farms is a multi-generation hop grower in Washington's Yakima Valley that also distributes its own hop varieties and branded products. Comparable to WVH as a vertically integrated hop supplier with proprietary varieties, though with a different geographic anchor.
• Indie Hops: Indie Hops is an Oregon-based hop company that contracts and distributes proprietary hop varieties to craft brewers. Shares WVH's craft-beer focus and Oregon footprint, with similar emphasis on proprietary variety exclusivity and specialty products.
• Hopsteiner: Hopsteiner is one of the largest international hop companies, breeding, processing, and distributing hop varieties and hop products to brewers globally. Directly comparable to WVH as a multi-product hop distributor with proprietary varieties and global reach, though at materially larger scale.
• John I. Haas: John I. Haas is a leading hop breeding, processing, and distribution company that develops proprietary advanced hop products (LUPOMAX, INCOGNITO, HopKick) which WVH distributes. As both a supplier and a competitor, Haas is the most strategically important peer — producing hop varieties, extracts, and aroma products for global brewers.

Regional players

• Charles Faram: Charles Faram is a UK-based hop merchant and breeder with global distribution, supplying proprietary hop varieties and hop products to brewers worldwide. Closely comparable to WVH in business model (specialty hop distribution with proprietary varieties), though operating primarily in European and international markets.

Broad incumbents

• Briess Malt & Ingredients: Briess is an established ingredient supplier to the brewing industry, providing malt extracts and specialty brewing ingredients. Comparable to WVH as a supplier to craft brewers, though broader in scope and not a hop specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/willamettehops
• Facebookfacebook.com/willamettevalley.hops
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willamettevalleyhops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Willamette Valley Hops