Yakima, WA – April 15, 2025 – John I. Haas Inc. (Haas^®), a global leader in hop production and innovation, has introduced a hop blend in collaboration with the Michael James Jackson Foundation (MJF), a grant-making organization that funds scholarship awards to people of color within the brewing and distilling trades.

At the MJF board meeting in November 2024, representatives from Haas presented board members with a wide variety of hops, which the board evaluated and ultimately selected a four-hop blend in a blind sensory assessment. The final blend consists of Elani^®, El Dorado^®, Citra^®, and Citra LupoMAX^® hops. Notably, the Citra hops selected come from Loza Farms in Wapato, WA—the only Mexican-owned hop farm in the United States.

“Quality of course takes precedent when selecting hops, but it was also important to us to include hops from a farm owned by people of color,” said Garrett Oliver, President of the MJF. “The Citra we blind-selected turned out to be from Loza, which is great. It integrates complex citrus and tropical notes to this blend, and we’re incredibly pleased with its inclusion.”

“In a recent year, scholarships awarded by the MJF sent more people of color to the venerable Siebel Institute of Technology brewing school in a single year than had attended in the previous decade—a tremendous achievement that underscores the importance of the foundation,” shared Josh Vigansky, Director of Product and Portfolio at Haas. “This hop blend project demonstrates Haas’ commitment to growing the brewing industry and focusing on lasting change.”

Haas will be making a $5 per pound contribution to the MJF. The blend is available in a variety of pack sizes and all brewers are welcome to purchase and brew with this blend.