Quality Czech hops are the basis of premium beer brands from all over the world. Therefore, many representatives of Czech as well as foreign breweries are coming during the hop harvest to Žatec.
All through the harvest a large number of hops customers are likely to be met in Saaz region every day. According to the board chairman of CHMELAŘSTVÍ, Zdeněk Rosa, the breweries are delighted by the good quality of harvested hops and also by the prerequisite of fulfillment of long-term contracts for the supply of hops.
Many breweries have incorporated hop harvesting into their educational programs for their employees. Last week, Karel Dittrich´s Farm in Lenešice in cooperation with BOHEMIA HOP company welcomed more than 100 people from Pilsner Urquell during three traditional harvest events.
The employees of the breweries tried hops hand picking and they also got acquainted with the hops harvesting process at present and its further journey into a cold storehouse in Žatec. In the hop gardens the best tapsters and sales representatives of Pilsner Urquell from all different countries in the world, such as Japan, Korea, India, Sweden or Denmark, were meeting during those days.
The harvest is used for special batches that are brewed from the wet hops. The hop growers highly appreciate these visits accompanied by the BOHEMIA HOP representatives.
The Standing Senate Commission on Rural Development did not miss the start of the hop harvest. The group of senators including a head of the Commission Mr. Miroslav Nenutil and Ms. Zdenka Hamousova, senator and Mayor of the Royal Town of Saaz, visited our region at the begining of the harvest. Zdenek Rosa, the chairman of Chmelarstvi, guided them through Chmelarstvi, cooperative Zatec, The Beer and Hop Temple, PP Servis, Steknik Castle and hop farm of Emil Bures Hopservis. Senators could learn more about the harvest equipment, processing,storing and verifying the authencity of hops.
The information from the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture (UKZUZ – the main certification authority for hops which is a part of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic) that we received this week regarding a change in the graphic form of the Certificate for a certified product (ie. for hops and hop products).
With these changes the graphic of the certificate was changed but at the same time all information remain there (information on variety, crop year, region, type of product, identification numbers plus reference numbers that connect the certificate to further documents such as the weight list or labels on the hop products). We are also glad that the historical hop graphics are still a part of the new certificate.
If required the hop trading companies can apart from the electronic version still ask for a paper version (in the new format) that can be signed and stamped. Otherwise all communication (certificates, weight list will now be only available in an electronic version with a digital signature).
This change is valid from August 15th 2019.
Enclosed please see samples (in Czech language VZOR (Example)) of the new certificates that will be going with all Czech hop products from now on.
Anatolij Choťko, Belorussian Minister of Agriculture, led a delegation that visited headquaters of Bohemia Hop and Chmnelarstvi, cooperative. The Minister was very interested in a Czehc hop industry and asked many questions related to the cultivating, processing and trading hops. Apart from a visit of a processing plant and cold storage, there was an open discussion focused on business and scientific cooperation.
The Hopman Team run the last week in June 2019 the Vineyard Marathon Race in Alsace, France. Bohemia Hop as a traditional partner and sponsor participates in a local races organized regularly by the Team of Hopman - April Half-Marathon and 10 km race, May duathlon, July triathlon, October aquathlon and Advent run race in a Royal Town of Saaz (ŽATEC). All races attract many runners and athlets from the Czech Republic including teams of Bohemia Hop, CHMELAŘSTVÍ, Hop Research Institue and Czech hop growers.
On the occasion of the Vineyard Marathon Race, all members of the Hopman Team wore the Crown of Hops from Bohemia Hop and thus expressed a tradition and importance of Saaz hops for our region.
