Leon Loza arrived in the Yakima Valley from Mexico in 1976 to begin working in the valley\u2019s hop fields. That was just the beginning of a long, and often challenging, journey leading to the purchase of his first 56-acre hop farm in 2006. That journey eventually became a thriving family affair as Loza Farms grew to become a leading Yakima Valley hop producer and the only Mexican-American owned hop farm in the U.S. Today, Leon \u201cJunior\u201d Loza is the farm manager, and the hop operation remains a family passion as he leads it forward in the top hop producing region in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leon Loza Jr. – Loza Farms<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My\nfather’s journey from Mexico and our family’s journey have been the driving\nforce behind the success of our hop farm. The values of hard work, dedication,\nand sacrifice instilled by my parents have become the foundation of our\noperation. As the farm has grown over the years, these principles have guided\nour decisions, ensuring that every step forward comes from the same work ethic\nthat brought us here. Looking to the future, we envision the continuation of\nthis legacy, with a commitment to sustainable and responsible farming\npractices, as well as a focus on family unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From\nthe initial 56-acre hop farm to the thriving entity that is Loza Farms today,\nbeing part of the Yakima Valley hop community holds deep significance for us.\nIt means being connected to a rich history of hop cultivation. We take pride in\nour role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nhands-on, manual work involved in growing hops, from training emerging bines to\nharvest, is a labor of love for us. This dedication comes from a respect of hop\nfarming and a commitment to producing the highest quality of hops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Witnessing our hops being\ntransformed into unique and flavorful beers is a source of pride. Growing hops is tough work, but getting to taste the fruits of\nour labor in a great beer surrounded by good company? Now that’s the best part\nof the job!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leon Loza arrived in the Yakima Valley from Mexico in 1976 to begin working in the valley\u2019s hop fields. That was just the beginning of a long, and often challenging, journey leading to the purchase of his first 56-acre hop farm in 2006. That journey eventually became a thriving family affair as Loza Farms grew… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hops-and-beer","category-meet-the-maker-yakima-valley-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2637"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4754,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637\/revisions\/4754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nHow has your father\u2019s story and family journey influenced your hop farm operation as it has grown over the years? What do you see for the future?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From the first 56-acre hop farm to what Loza Farms is today, what does it mean to you to be part of the Yakima Valley hop community and industry?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
People might not realize how much hands-on, manual work there is in growing hops. What\u2019s behind your dedication to growing hops?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What do you enjoy about working with brewers and seeing\/tasting your hops in the beers they craft?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n