Meet the Growers

  • TONY REDSELL OBE & ANTONY RUDGARD REDSELL

    Boughton, Faversham, East Kent. Varieties Grown: East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Challenger, Northdown, Bramling Cross, Cascade


    The Redsell family have been farming in Kent since the mid 19th Century and since 1938 at Parsonage Farm, Boughton under Blean. We now farm 2,500 acres of which 125 are under hops including East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, Challenger, Northdown, Bramling Cross and we have grown the American variety Cascade since 2002.

    The world renowned East Kent Golding now has “Protected Designation of Origin” status. First selected from the Canterbury Whitebine by a Mr Golding in 1790, it has several clones named after the village in which it was first grown e.g. Bramling or Eastwell or the grower who selected it such as Cobb.

    The farms include land at Reculver and Thanet, crops grown include wheat, barley, oats, oil seeds, peas and onions.

    The soils range from brick earth at Boughton to sandy loam and clay at Reculver and Thanet Beds over chalk in Thanet.

    There is a regular staff of eight, including several who represent the third generation of their family working on the farm.

    Tony Redsell’s first hop harvest was in 1948 and he took over the management of the farm in 1960 following the death of the late Mr Tom Redsell.

    Antony Rudgard-Redsell, grandson of Tony, joined the business in 2015 becoming the 6th generation of hop growers in the family.

  • CHRISTOPHER, GILLIAN & ANDREW DAWS, KITCHENHAM FARM

    Bodiam, East Sussex. Varieties grown: Admiral, Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings, Experimental

     

    The growing of hops was established in the 18th century in the Ewhurst and Bodiam parishes of East Sussex. The Daws family farmed in Ewhurst while the Levett family farmed in Bodiam. The Daws family were the first family to establish growing hops on a wire trellis, rather than the traditional pole and string system used by others. We now run the family farm in Bodiam growing Admiral, Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings and an experimental variety.

    We are members of English Hops Limited (EHL) a Growers co-operative where I am Sales Director and proud to sell direct to Brewers and customer either as raw hops or T90 pellet a full range of varieties that our growers produce.

  • RICHARD EDMED, HAYLE FARM

    Horsmonden, Kent. Varieties Grown: First Gold, Goldings, Progress, Target, Sovereign, Pilgrim, Endeavour

     

    Hayle Farm is situated in a tranquil valley in the Weald of Kent between the small village of Horsmonden and the Sussex border. The area is known as “The Garden of England” and is designated an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”

    Hops have been grown here since the 1590’s when the Flemish Wool Weavers settled around Goudhurst and brought their hop varieties with them. In 1861, the variety ‘Fuggles’ was discovered in Horsmonden and first propagated in Brenchley, the next village to Horsmonden.

    Our situation here is perfect for growing hops, as it is well sheltered by the surrounding hills and a fresh water trout stream that meanders through the various hop gardens.

    Clive Edmed has farmed here for over 39 years and in the last 25 years has been joined by his son, Richard, making at least 5 generations of hop growers.

    A mix of tall and dwarf varieties are grown here, producing five different varieties of hops having excellent English aromas and colour due to the Wadhurst heavy soils and typical English climate.

    Growing hops is not only a business to us, it’s a way of life.

  • THOMAS JOHNSON ELVERTON FARMS LTD AND THE REDSELL TEYNHAM PARTNERSHIP

    East Kent. Varieties Grown: Bramling Cross, Bullion, Cascade, Challenger, East Kent Golding, Fuggle, Northdown


    We farm around 220ha of land across three farms around Faversham in Kent. The business is family run, I am in my third year managing the farm in partnership with my Mum and Sister. Our cropping includes hops, apples, pears, cherries, wheat, barley and oilseed rape.

    Hops account for 20% of our cropping area, so is a key part of our business. We have only tall varieties, growing predominantly East Kent Goldings, but also other traditional varieties to broaden our picking window at harvest. Recently we have planted some Bullion, an old variety which used to be used as a bittering hop and has gained some popularity in recent years thanks to its vibrant aroma.

    We employ eight full time staff most of whom have many years of experience on our farms. During the spring and summer months we employ up to 60 casual workers to help with harvest of our hops and fruit.

    Our farm is committed to producing high quality crops using sustainable farming practices.

  • THE WHEELER FAMILY

    East Peckham, Kent &Udimore, East Sussex. Varieties Grown: Fuggles, Target, Admiral, Goldings


    In 1690 the Wheeler Family grew hops in West Sussex. John and Jasper Wheeler moved to Kent in the early 19th century and Ken Wheeler on to East Sussex in the 20th century.

    This continuity of 10 generations has seen years of changing fortunes in this volatile industry.

    Simon and Phillip Wheeler now join their father Robert and uncle Christopher, confident that English Hops are a special high quality product with a future.

    They grow over 32 hectares of Fuggles, Target, Admiral and Kent Cobb and Early Choice Goldings at Udimore, Britains’ most southern hop farm and East Peckham, the traditional heartland of hop growing in the Weald of Kent.

    With a Continuous Binder dryer on one farm and investment in a new oast and two new balers, the family believe in their business and that English hops have a positive market both at home and abroard.

  • FRANK & IAN TIPPLES, HARTS HEATH FARM

    Staplehurst, Kent. Varieties Grown: Admiral, Bramling Cross, Goldings, Progress, Target, WGV

     am a 3rd generation hop farmer and have been growing hops myself for over 40 years. Our farm is 110 hectares, of which 20 hectares is dedicated to hops.

    Other activities on the farm are growing of cereals, apples and pears and the tending of sheep.

    I grow a variety of hop varieties with Admiral being my favourite as it is easy to grow and relatively disease free.

    I am quite fond of Shepherd Neame Master Brew or any good UK ale.

    I have retired from the post of Chairman of Marden Cricket and Hockey clubs, which I held for 10 years. We are a successful club achieving the quarter finals of a National knockout competition.

  • JOSH BERRY, GUSHMERE COURT FARM

    Selling, Faversham, East Kent. Varieties Grown: East Kent Goldings, Challenger, Fuggles


    I farm some 200 hectares of land in the parishes of both Boughton and Selling located between Faversham and Canterbury in Kent. Our soils vary from Chalky loam with flints through to Sandy loam, with some Thanet Beds and a little Brick earth. Cropping includes hops, blackcurrants, pears, cherries, wheat, oats, oil seed rape and beans.

    The farm has been in the family for many generations. I am just about to start my tenth year managing the farm. Growing hops is a key enterprise within the business. Traditionally, growing East Kent Goldings and more recently, we have replanted varieties we used to grow. Fuggles were planted in 2002 and Challenger were added in 2009. This has helped extend our harvest window and has ensured all of our hop growing systems are running at full capacity.

    I employ three very knowledgeable full time staff who have all worked for this family run business for over 30 years. Our valuable staff members assist with the day to day operations and a casual workforce of between 10 and 20 people are employed for hop training and harvest.

    Our business moves forward concentrating on the importance of the environment, our people and our quality products.

  • HOWARD & MARK BATT, BUCKMAN GREEN FARM

    Smarden, Kent. Varieties Grown: Admiral, Boadicea, First Gold, Goldings, Pioneer, Progress, Sovereign, Sussex, WGV


    A 4th generation family farm, situated in the Weald of Kent near Smarden village, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The farm comprises of 100 acres split between hops and rotation crops grown predominantly on clay soil in the Beult basin.

    The farm, originally part of the Cornwallis estate was farmed by Mark Batt on a tenancy basis from 1917 which comprised of only 3 acres of hops. The tenancy was passed to Mark’s son; Arnold who continued to expand the hop business and purchased the farm outright circa 1960 for the princely sum on £10,000. Stewardship was passed to Arnold’s son Howard in 1990 who continued to expand the hop business from 20 to 50 acres, investing in dwarf/hedgerow grown hops. In 2016, Howard’s son Mark started the Batt’s 4th generation on Buckman Green joining Howard and hopes to continue and modernise the hop enterprise.

    Of the farm’s 50 acres of hops, approximately 50% are conventional and the remainder hedgerow and comprise of 11 different varieties of grade one hops to supply an international market. Howard and Mark have won numerous local and national awards for their hop harvest over the years and continue to focus on a quality driven market.

  • JOHN & ANNA CLINCH, SYNDALE FARM

    Ospringe, Faversham, East Kent. Varieties Grown: East Kent Goldings, Challenger

    The Clinch family have farmed in East Kent for over three hundred years, and have been growing hops for well over a century. Hops have always been the mainstay of our business and at Syndale Farm, we are coming up to our centenary in 2019.

    The Farm is in a sheltered valley that overlooks the Swale Estuary and the North Sea, a perfect place to grow East Kent Goldings.

    I would like take this opportunity to welcome Anna Clinch who has just joined us this year, after finishing her degree at Cirencester RAU.

  • JOOST BEDDELEEM

    Poperinge, Belgium. Varieties Grown: Target and Goldings

    The farm of Joost Beddeleem is situated less than a kilometer away from the Belgium/French border.

    At least five generations of the Beddeleem family earned their living on this location.

    In 2020, I took over the farm from my parents, and in 2022, I married Lauren
    Dekervel, who is also the daughter of a hop grower. Lauren works as an office
    clerk at the phytosanitary trader. We have two sons, named Achiel and Odard. 

    My parents, Marc and Marleen, still enjoy coming to help every day.

    Currently, we still cultivate 3 hectares of hops and hope to be able to expand this again in the future. The other crops are cereals, potatoes, corn, grass, beets, and flax.

    The family grow the hop varieties, Target and Goldings.

  • KEITH MILLEN, WAGSTAFF FARM

    Biddenden, Ashford. Varieties Grown: Admiral, Goldings, Target, UK Chinook


    My grandfather bought this farm in 1918, and for a while grew a small acreage of hops.

    In the depression years of the 1930’s, he did not have any and during the second world war, a large section of the farm was requisitioned by the government to build an air field which was occupied by the American air force.

    There was a considerable amount of damage done to the land and property. By the end of the war the land was given back and by this time my father started to take over and wanted to grow hops again in the very late 1940’s early 1950’s. The main variety he grew was Fuggles, growing them successfully for a number of years, until the late 1970’s when they were struck down with verticillium wilt.

    For the next 10 years or so, different varieties were grown with varying degrees of success, until the late 1980’s when everything was grubbed. At this time, I started to take an interest and planted the existing acreage with Target, which I still have today. Since then I have doubled the acreage which includes Admiral, Goldings and UK Chinnock and built a new drying system and with the vibrant interest in UK varieties, I intend to increase plantings further.

    I am the seventh generation in my family to have grown hops, although not continuously or on the same farm. It may appear to some people that I grow hops for historical family connections but this is not the case. My grandfather said to my father when he started growing hops, “you are in for a lot of work and aggravation” and he certainly was not wrong. I have a young and enthusiastic team working with me, including the next generation and they are showing interest in what I do.

    • CARLO & RITA BOERAEVE

      Poperinge, Belgium. Varieties Grown: Challenger, Magnum, Phoenix, Pilgrim, Target

      My Father, Adrien Boeraeve, started up the farm in 1950 with my Mother, Marie-Cecile Derycke. They grew hops and reared pigs and cattle.

      I married Rita Leys in 1985 and we started looking after the farm in 1986. Rita had a fulltime job as a nurse until our first Son Stijn was born. Rita stayed at home and we worked on the farm together and a few years later, our second Son Tomas was born.

      We grow 13 hectares of hops, which is the main crop, along with hop shoots, a few hectares of cereals and vegetables – 25 hectares altogether.

      My Son Tomas, now works on the farm with me.

    • THOMAS JOHNSON ELVERTON FARMS LTD AND THE REDSELL TEYNHAM PARTNERSHIP

      East Kent. Varieties Grown: Bramling Cross, Bullion, Cascade, Challenger, East Kent Golding, Fuggle, Northdown


      We farm around 220ha of land across three farms around Faversham in Kent. The business is family run, I am in my third year managing the farm in partnership with my Mum and Sister. Our cropping includes hops, apples, pears, cherries, wheat, barley and oilseed rape.

      Hops account for 20% of our cropping area, so is a key part of our business. We have only tall varieties, growing predominantly East Kent Goldings, but also other traditional varieties to broaden our picking window at harvest. Recently we have planted some Bullion, an old variety which used to be used as a bittering hop and has gained some popularity in recent years thanks to its vibrant aroma.

      We employ eight full time staff most of whom have many years of experience on our farms. During the spring and summer months we employ up to 60 casual workers to help with harvest of our hops and fruit.

      Our farm is committed to producing high quality crops using sustainable farming practices.

    • TOM & NIGEL BERRY, BRENLEY FARM

      Boughton, Faversham, East Kent. Varieties Grown: East Kent Goldings


      The Berrys have been farming hops at Brenley for over 150 years and with six generations of knowledge, we are proud to still be growing the finest local varieties.

      Nigel and his son Tom, grow circa 10 Hectares of East Kent Goldings, regularly updating growing methods and searching for the best ways to improve quality.