The craft brewery boom buoys nation's only Latino-owned hop farm

Like many other hop-growing families in the Yakima Valley, the Loza family has been working around the clock to harvest their 365 acres of hops within a few weeks.

But as they’ve done for the past five years, Loza Farms took a breather one evening last month to open their farm to brewery owners and brewmasters from around the U.S. and Mexico for their annual Mexican Night.

What started as a gathering for a handful of Mexican craft brewers is now a full-scale must-attend harvest event for hop and brewery officials. It’s also become a showcase for the only Latino-owned hop farm in the United States.

Around 100 guests enjoyed carnitas, slow-cooked over an outdoor gas stove; a variety of toppings; and of course beer from breweries that use Loza Farms hops. Mexican music filled the open air as brewers and hop growers talked shop and took a tour led by the oldest of the four Loza children, Leon Loza Jr., 41, who most people know simply as “Junior.”

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https://www.cascadepbs.org/environment/2024/10/craft-brewery-boom-buoys-nations-only-latino-owned-hop-farm