USA: Yakima Chief Hops announces new CEO

Yakima Chief Hops, a 100% grower-owned global hop supplier for the craft brewing industry, has introduced Ryan Hopkins as YCH’s new Chief Executive Officer, promoting Hopkins from Chief Sales Officer, the Australian Brews News reported on March 3.

“The YCH Board of Directors is pleased to name Ryan Hopkins as the company’s CEO,” said Chairman of the Board Rich Van Horn.

“Ryan will bring continuity to the position and has earned the trust, respect, and admiration of the employees, board, and customers in his six years with the company. Ryan’s commitment to the mission, vision, and values of our company is unwavering.”

Hopkins has been a member of the YCH sales staff for more than six years, transitioning from Sales Support Coordinator to Vice President of North American Sales and later to Chief Sales Officer. He holds undergraduate degrees in both ecology and biology, with a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Central Washington University. As a Yakima Valley native, Hopkins is rooted within the hop growing community, having grown up alongside many of the hop growers and farm workers in the area. He has a deep understanding and appreciation for the multi-generational family farms from which YCH products are sourced.

“It is truly an honor to receive the highest leadership opportunity at YCH and I hope to continue to bring value to this company, our hop growers, our distributors and all of our brewing partners” said Hopkins.

“We have an incredible family of dedicated staff members who continue to focus on providing not only the highest quality hops, but also the best services and resources possible for our customers. Collectively, we will continue to work wisely in our mission to strengthen the bond between the hop and brewing industries.”

As a long-standing member of the YCH’s sales staff, Hopkins has become well-known and respected by both the hop growing and brewing communities, having focused his efforts on building strong relationships with hop growers and brewers across the globe.

With a profound expertise in building collaborative, team-based successes, Hopkins has a proven track record of bringing organizations together to enhance the goals and outcomes of all involved. YCH considers Hopkins to be a true asset to their leadership team as they continue to focus on a clearly established mission to connect family farms to the world’s finest brewers.

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