Nicholas Schaut is passionate about hops. Ask him a single question and he will take you on a journey through the history of this unique plant, how it grows, how it is processed, and then of course there is the beer.
That passion helped carry Schaut to victory at last year's Dragons' Den Meaford competition, and it is that passion that on the eve of his first harvest since stepping off the stage at Meaford Hall last October had him as excited as a child tip-toeing down the stairs on Christmas morning.
“I tend to ramble,” he said with a chuckle as he paused mid-way through explaining the various types of hops that he is growing on a one acre plot on his 80 acre farm in rural Meaford.
While sipping a dark brew from a local micro-brewery on a warm August afternoon, the hop vines rustling in a gentle breeze, Schaut said that he was pleased with the progress of his organic hop plantation in just its second year.
He expects this crop to yield 400 pounds of wet hops which after 14 hours in his homemade drying system will result in approximately 100 pounds of dry hops ready to send to local breweries. Not all of his hops will be dried though. Schaut says that there are some specialty brewers looking for wet hops which presents a logistical challenge, as from the time the hops are picked they need to be delivered to the brewer in a few short hours.
Though the yield this year may seem small, it is just a first step for Schaut who over the next three years plans to expand his organic hop plantation by another five acres. When that happens his operation will require two full time employees as well as several seasonal workers.
He says that the injection of cash after his Dragons' Den win was a tremendous help in getting his hop growing business moving in the direction he wanted, but cash aside there were other benefits that have proven just as valuable.
“I received a lot of calls from brewers after Dragons' Den,” said Schaut, “so it helped to raise awareness of what I was doing.”
Even more valuable says Schaut has been the mentoring he has received from some of the “Dragons” that had enough faith in his pitch during the competition to put their money behind his endeavour.
“Some of the dragons have made themselves available to consult and advise which has been extremely helpful,” said Schaut who hopes that within three years he will be able to hang his Canada Post uniform in the closet and work on his farm full-time.
“I am very thankful to Dragons' Den Meaford. The Dragons saw the future and the potential of my business, and that gave me an injection of energy and enthusiasm.”
A tireless researcher, Schaut has recently returned from a hop convention that was held in Michigan. He says that meeting with other growers and touring hop growing operations - both conventional and organic – helped him to both expand his knowledge and to feel proud of his own young plantation.
He is also making some important connections in the hop industry which will help him to grow his business. Schaut is the interim chair for a newly formed Ontario hop growers association.
Though his initial market is the brewing industry, Schaut says that there are other opportunities to explore including the non-alcoholic beverage industry as well as a variety of medicinal uses for hops.
For now though, Schaut is harvesting this year's crop and is optimistically planning for the next growing season.
The third annual Dragons' Den Meaford competition will be held at Meaford Hall on October 26.
