The Great Chinese Hop Buy 2009

[brettprevans]

and if they were not loaded onto the boat 1st time round they would have already gone thru customs. now they go thru customs again. one assumes they have been removed from warf and kept off site and are now being resubmitted for shipping.

 

[townsville]

I thought these were being air-freighted now? Sounds like they are on slow boat #2, is that correct?

No, they are being air-frieghted. The one constant arround the world seems Govt departments and their want to delay, hold things up, fill out useless paperwork etc etc. China is no different.

best I can work out, there is one special set of paperwork that has to be filled out if going by ship. That was done. But when they mised the ship and they were going to be air freighted, WELL YOU CAN GUESS, a whole new set of paperwork and inspections has to be done. That has been done, BUT then we have to find air freight space for the hops.

As per their e-mail, that seems to have been found.

A man must be mad trying to organise all this crap.

Craftbrewer

 

[Maple]

Thanks for that, was a bit confused, can imagine how it feels to be the man speaking running the show...I'd have no hair by now. Cheers

 

[raven19]

A man must be mad trying to organise all this crap.

You shall be a much loved mad man once these hops come thru! :icon_cheers:

 

[QldKev]

Fingers crossed that these are still coming, I have started to loose confidence. They have said several times it will be in the next day or two. Now this 'air forwarder' will tell them clear date of 'sailing'.



QldKev

 

[QldKev]

A man must be mad trying to organise all this crap.

Craftbrewer

But never give up, we appreciate all the effort you have put into this.

QldKev

 

[townsville]

Fingers crossed that these are still coming, I have started to loose confidence.

I remain extremely confident they will come. Having worked in Government, and especially bringing stuff into Australia before, I have seen this sort of thing happen time and again.

All you need is one hic-cup and the whole thing gets delayed. Its very normal.

I have seen the paperwork, The australian shipping agent has been in constant talks with the hop producer, the whole thing looks very good. We are just caught up with RED TAPE in the red country.

Craftbrewer

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic: Hombre, if we get those kickarse dago hops from the land of the Alpacas (No not the NSW Southern Highlands ) wouldn't the seasons be reversed compared to China, and therefore what would be the best month to look at the buy? Strikes me that they should arrive at around the best time for lager brewing :super:

 

[townsville]

:icon_offtopic: Hombre, if we get those kickarse dago hops from the land of the Alpacas (No not the NSW Southern Highlands ) wouldn't the seasons be reversed compared to China, and therefore what would be the best month to look at the buy? Strikes me that they should arrive at around the best time for lager brewing :super:

Yes, argentina would be the same as the Aus and Kiwi harvest. BUT I have yet another source that looks extremely promising, full of European nobels. So I have China for USA hops and Saaz, This other one for ALL the European nobels.

Craftbrewer

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Yes, argentina would be the same as the Aus and Kiwi harvest. BUT I have yet another source that looks extremely promising, full of European nobels. So I have China for USA hops and Saaz, This other one for ALL the European nobels.

Craftbrewer

I can see you disappearing soon ! At this very moment the Hop cartels are organising a hit man to take you out. h34r:
GB

 

[townsville]

In all these exercises I have only been doing this due to the OUTRAGIOUS hop prices we craftbrewers have to pay. There is no justification paying $90, $100, $120 a kilo for hops.

I do these exercises to show we can get hops at a realistic price.

Which to me raises an interesting question "what is a realistic price for hops we should pay"? A most interesting question. I would say slightly above farm gate prices would be fine, with a little profit for middle-men. Only a few years agao, I could get in Australia at the farm gate hops at $11.00 a kilo, DELIVERED. Last bulk order with an Aussie farm supply was $18.00 a kilo delivered.

So I recon anything under $20.00 a kilo is a reasonable price. Now I am working towards that. I am trying to set up sources where we can get these hops at $20.00 a kilo or below. This is for Craftbrewers, and Micro's.

So far its looking good. Found 4 countries where it looks like we can hops at this price delivered.

I am expecting good hop flavoured, and aromed beers in the future, in comps and in micros. There will be no excuse about hop flavour because they are soooo expensive.

Craftbrewer

 

[Scruffy]

I am expecting good hop flavoured, and aromed beers in the future, in comps and in micros. There will be no excuse about hop flavour because they are soooo expensive.

Craftbrewer

Just maybe not today, eh...

Amatuerbrewer

 

[apd]

In all these exercises I have only been doing this due to the OUTRAGIOUS hop prices we craftbrewers have to pay. There is no justification paying $90, $100, $120 a kilo for hops.
...
Which to me raises an interesting question "what is a realistic price for hops we should pay"? A most interesting question. I would say slightly above farm gate prices would be fine, with a little profit for middle-men.

But are they really that outragious? You aren't making any money from this excercise so there is a lot of work going unpaid (by you and the people who have volunteered to pack) which means that it's unfair to compare the price you've arranged with the price that a retailer will charge.

A retailer has to factor their overheads (insurance, rent, wages, etc.) into the price of the goods they sell. So there is justification for $90+ per kilo because that $90+ per kilo covers all those overheads which you don't have.

$20 per kilo is only possible if you are able to continue to do this for free. If you need to start behaving like a retailer (i.e. having storage space, paying for the packing, offering shipping) and adding a little bit extra for the time you've spent, I'm sure that $20 will start to climb.

Andrew

 

[bigfridge]

But are they really that outragious? You aren't making any money from this excercise so there is a lot of work going unpaid (by you and the people who have volunteered to pack) which means that it's unfair to compare the price you've arranged with the price that a retailer will charge.

A retailer has to factor their overheads (insurance, rent, wages, etc.) into the price of the goods they sell. So there is justification for $90+ per kilo because that $90+ per kilo covers all those overheads which you don't have.

$20 per kilo is only possible if you are able to continue to do this for free. If you need to start behaving like a retailer (i.e. having storage space, paying for the packing, offering shipping) and adding a little bit extra for the time you've spent, I'm sure that $20 will start to climb.

Andrew

The biggest cost is refrigeration. I know one shop that spends $5,000 per year just running their hop fridges.

Sell a tonne of hops and that immediately adds $5 per kilo.

 

[peas_and_corn]

The biggest cost is refrigeration. I know one shop that spends $5,000 per year just running their hop fridges.

Sell a tonne of hops and that immediately adds $5 per kilo.

Knows what he's talking about, that dude. After all, he IS a fridge.

 

[bigfridge]

Knows what he's talking about, that dude. After all, he IS a fridge.

And a mighty big one at that

 

[QldKev]

Knows what he's talking about, that dude. After all, he IS a fridge.

these jokes are just too cool B) B)

QldKev

 

[Adamt]

Chill out people!

Wait, is this the banter thread or the serious thread?

 

[MarkBastard]

Sure, but if we take that $20 per kilo as a 'wholesale' price (wholesale would actually be cheaper), then the most a retailer should be able to charge without it being completely ridiculous is $40/kg.

What we are instead seeing is 5 times the amount.

He has a very good point. $100/kg is getting right up there with some very expensive culinary items.

 

[Adamt]

You think the retailers are adding $80/kg onto the wholesale price? lol

If the retailers are selling Chinese hops, they wouldn't be $100/kg. The retailers are selling hops from more expensive (and higher quality? we'll soon see if/when these hops arrive...) source, without knowing the wholesale prices and without having access to the retailers books, I would say that due to retail competition the current prices are pretty good.