Hops at Home in Canterbury : Bold River Hops by Okuora Farms. North Canterbury

On the banks of the Hurunui River in North Canterbury, John Penno and Maury Leyland Penno are quietly reshaping what land use can look like in a changing climate. At Okuora Farms, their 700-hectare property runs sheep, beef, dairy grazers, and a patchwork of arable crops. However, it is their horticultural venture, Bold River Hops, that has set the farm apart, making it the only commercial hop-growing operation in the region.

John, a trained scientist who began his career in agricultural research, has always trusted data to guide good decisions. His wife Maury – a woman of many talents, having been the first woman to ever sail for Team New Zealand and also an accomplished engineer - also stands by data to fuel choices and outcomes. “We bought the land here after identifying that this area would be really well-suited for horticulture,” John explained.

“With climate change, the climate is warming and moving south. The data showed that what grew in Motueka in the 1970s and 80s should grow in North Canterbury now. That was the theory, and that’s why we bought it.”

They decided to trial two crops: hops and pipfruit. Hops, being quicker to mature, off ered the chance to test the farm’s potential and commercialise early. “You plant a hop plant and you’re getting a half harvest within the fi rst six months, and a full harvest within two years. It was a crop we could use to fi gure out quite quickly the horticultural potential of this area.” Today, fi ve years on, Bold River Hops supplies brewers in New Zealand, the United States and beyond, carrying the distinction of being the only hop farm in North Canterbury.

Breaking into a crop so closely tied to Nelson was not without its challenges. “There’s been a mixture of scepticism and curiosity in the industry,” John said. “Often crops are grown in places just because they always have been. Nelson’s a great horticultural area, but hops aren’t as complex to grow as some crops - they just need to be managed well. The real challenge is harvesting them at exactly the right moment for brewing great beer.”

That challenge is partly scientific and partly practical. From the outset, John and Maury leaned on both. They sought advice from consultants and Nelson hop growers, and relied on farm manager Pete, who brought experience in both livestock and hops. Infrastructure was established, soil prepared, irrigation laid, and the perennial crop put in with the expectation it would last two decades. “As a young scientist, I learned to trust the data,” John said. “Farming comes with a lot of opinions, but ultimately, if the science says a crop will work and you follow that, you’re far more likely to succeed.”

Once established, the crop quickly demanded precision. Hops climb bines - twining clockwise until they form a dense canopy. At midsummer, they flower, producing cones filled with lupulin glands. Those cones hold the oils and aromas brewers prize, and they must be harvested in a matter of days. The work is intense, with machines pulling down bines and stripping cones, which are then dried rapidly and baled before being shipped for processing. “It’s busy and you’ve only got a couple of days for each crop to be in the right window,” John said. “There’s a lot riding on timing. Some of it might be regional, but I think a lot of it is related to when and how we harvest and grow them.”

John and the team have built Bold River Hops around direct relationships with brewers, rather than selling into blended pools.

“We’re really focused on making sure we deliver hops that brewers really like. That’s the reason we want to sell directly to the brewers, so that there’s nobody in between our hops and they aren’t being blended with somebody else’s hops, and you lose touch with what the brewers really want and what we can build into the product at our end. We put a lot of effort into getting to know the brewers, talking to them about what they found when they use the product,” John explained.

“We separate the lines by harvest date, and we use that information to learn as much as possible about the hops and how they’re performing. We focus solely on ensuring that they produce great beers. I tell all my brewers, if I can give them hops, help them sell more beer, they’re going to buy more of my hops, and we’re all going to win.”

Christchurch’s craft beer scene has become a hub for those partnerships, with local breweries like Cassels, Two Thumb, and Southpaw among their customers. The reach extends much further too, into California, Colorado, Oregon, and onto the US East Coast, tapping into the largest craft beer market in the world.

Sustainability underpins the approach. Okuora Farms prioritises ecological practices that minimise chemical use. Around the hop gardens, the Pennos sow crops like sunflowers that harbour beneficial insects, providing natural pest control. “These cones are going into someone’s drink,” John said. “We want to look after that. We’d much rather use biological controls than a chemical spray.” In cases of pressure from spider mite, a pest that can damage hops, predator insects are introduced rather than relying on chemicals.

Alongside the hops, a large pipfruit trial is underway, with apples positioned to be grown alongside the hops in the long-term future. “Hops were a test crop,” John explained. “Apples take longer and more capital to establish, but ultimately, they’re a much bigger industry. Come back in ten years, and I’d like to think much of this farm’s irrigated land will be in pipfruit.” Already, yields and fruit quality have exceeded expectations, North Canterbury’s hot days and cool autumn nights proving ideal for colour and storage.

For all the promise, there are still challenges. The hop industry, like the beer it serves, is vulnerable to cycles in consumer spending. “It’s probably not a great time to leap into hops right now, because it’s a luxury product,” John said. “But these things cycle. New Zealand has some real advantages with our varieties and growing conditions. We’re just a tiny player globally, so there’s plenty of room for us.”

His advice for others considering diversification is simple but fi rm, and follows an ethos which underpins most of John’s scientific work. “Don’t just follow tradition or where land prices are highest. Follow the science. Start small, prove it, then scale. That’s what we’ve done here.”

John and Maury also recognise the value of balance between vision and pragmatism. “The driver is doing new things, seeing them done well, creating something viable and growing from that. Whether that’s growing a new crop or building a new supply chain - that’s what excites us.”

At Okuora Farms, sustainability is not about preserving what has always been done, but about building resilient systems for the future. From sheep and beef on rolling country, to hops that are already making their way into iconic beers, to apples that could one day reshape the region, John and Maury are showing that bold ideas, backed by science, can put North Canterbury firmly on the horticultural map.