Business & Tech

Hop Processor Arrives at Wading River Farm

After raising over $30,000 to buy it, Condzella Farms' 5.5-ton 'Wolf' will be ready for this season's harvest.

A 5.5-ton hop processor arrived in Wading River last week after a hop farmer raised over $30,000 in an online fundraiser to purchase it, riding the wave of a craft beer boom to offer more local ingredients in local beer.

"The Wolf," as the machine is called, was transported all the way from the Hallertau region of Germany and arrived at Condzella Farms on a 100-foot flatbed trailer. John Condzella, the farmer who organized the campaign to get the machine, said getting the 5.5-ton machine from New York City to his farm proved to be the biggest challenge, though everything is in working order.

"We'll give it a facelift after this season," said Condzella, who paid $27,000 for the machine, which significantly hastens the process of picking the small hops off large vines. Harvesting one plant can take up to an hour, Condzella said, and some hops were even unable to get picked last season before going dormant. The Wolf can process up to an acre in a day.

The machine operated on a small hop farm in Germany, Condzella said, so the extent of its prior use wasn't too burdensome, despite its age – it's older than Condzella himself, built in 1984. But all the belts and chains are in working order – all original parts – and the transport went smoothly, he said.

Hops are one of four main ingredients in beer, along with barley, yeast and water. While several local breweries – including Long Ireland Beer Co., Port Jefferson Brewing Co., Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. and Rocky Point Artisan Brewers – have used Condzella Hops, several have said they would like to see more local offerings, which the machine will offer. Other hops farms – such as Peconic's Farm to Pint – would be able to benefit from it as well.

"I just wish we could get more," said Port Jeff Brewing Company owner Mike Philbrick in February, when the Kickstarter campaign kicked off. Philbrick said he gets most of his hops from Germany or Washington State. "Everyone likes drinking local beer, but ingredients for the beer come from all over the world."

Condzella Hops is adding about a half acre this season, and its existing hop plants are expected to fully mature this year; an average hop plant starts producing in full after three to four seasons.

Over 300 donors kicked in to help purchase The Wolf, and an extra $3,400 was even raised in the process, which Condzella said previously would likely go toward upgrading the machine's electrical system.

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