HISTORY

Yakima Chief, Inc. was founded by hop growing families, some of them growing hops in the Yakima Valley for more than 130 years. The fourteen grower families, who farm more than 20% of the hop acreage in the United States, joined together to build an organization which would market their hop products direct to brewers worldwide.

Yakima Chief now owns and operates nine cold storage warehouses in the YakimaValley, in addition to contract warehousing worldwide. Yakima Chief's pelleting plant is one of the largest, most advanced in the world. In 1999, an important link to providing all of YCI's products direct was completed. Our state-of-the-art CO2 extraction facility enables us to provide extracts to brewer's specifications, under the most stringent quality controls, including ISO 9001 certification.

Yakima Chief has made a significant investment and commitment to the brewing industry in order to have the capabilities to supply all the hop needs of brewers - we can guarantee product consistency and deliver products at a fair price because we are responsible for all the processes.

Mission - to grow, produce and sell high quality hop products worldwide and to ensure the long-term viability of the U.S. family hop farms.

Vision - to become the leading marketer of U.S. hops by offering products with the best value to brewers worldwide and to continue to build on our leadership position as an innovative company.

The Yakima Chief Difference - Our Quality/Value Package. Product consistency, personal service, exceptional technical support, hop-tracking certification, new varieties, fair pricing and total responsibility for the hops from our farms direct to your brew house.

HOP FARMING

The Yakima Valley of Washington State is notably one of the great hop producing regions in the world. Its unique mix of climate soil and latitude translates into the optimal growing environment for hops. In this valley, the grower/owners of Yakima Chief farm 20% of the hop acreage in the United States.

YCI Best Management Practices Program is a requirement for all grower/owners. This program enables growers to share information in every area of hop growing - establishing a hop yard, plant protection, harvesting, drying, baling and storage. Adherence to this program helps us to keep our quality commitment to the brewing industry and reduce costs, through grower volume group buying, for both growers and brewers. Yakima Chief growers are required to attend continuing studies on brewing, hop biology and agronomy. Our understanding of the brewer's business enables us to form strong partnerships with brewers all over the world.

Drip irrigation reduces water usage by 50% and reduces fertilizer use. This protects the environment and lowers production costs, while controlling nitrate levels and maintaining hop quality.

Environmentally Sensitive Plant Management - laboratory personnel work closely with our growers to implement biological and chemical programs that limit pesticide usage, protect the land and assure a consistent supply of quality hops for the future. Various non-chemical agronomic techniques have been developed by Yakima Chief to enhance soil properties and plant growth.

HARVESTING

On-premise laboratory facilities test dry matter by the toluene distillation method. This allows each hop variety to be harvested at the peak of aroma and maturity.

Better field mechanization with top and bottom cutters reduces physical handling of hop vines, thereby protecting the hop cone. Gentle picking, using reduced machine speeds, allows cones to be removed intact. Lupulin glands are not ruptured, there is less oxidation and cone integrity is preserved.

Post-harvest processing - improved kiln drying provides uniform heating and reduces moisture pockets, resulting in less oxidation and a more consistent product.

Ambient cooling after drying and just before baling stabilizes moisture and reduces hot spots in the baling process. This decreases oxidation, maintains high quality and minimizes the need for re-baling - another cost containment which results in competitive pricing.

Baling - After ambient cooling, the hops are promptly baled and shipped to Yakima Chief warehouses for testing and storage, prior to processing.

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