NZ Hops Ltd has paid tribute to one of their industry leaders, Tom Inglis, who passed away on 5 June 2023.
Inglis, a fourth generation hop grower, forged a long and focused career driving recognition and demand for New Zealand grown hops overseas.
After completing a Nuffield Scholarship, he took on the position of Export Director for the NZ Hop Marketing Board in 1979.
“Tom saw the potential for the New Zealand seedless high alpha hops, at a time when there was a world shortage, resulting in profitable prices for local growers through overseas distributors,” says NZ Hops.
“He built on this success with opportunities through direct marketing, and established relationships with large breweries such as Asahi in Japan and Coors in the USA.
“They had a preference for hops in pelleted form which led to the development of a pelleting plant and cool stores in Appleby, Tasman.”
Inglis then became the Chairman of the NZ Hop Marketing Board and led the industry for more than two decades and in 2006 he was awarded the NZ Order of Merit (NZOM) for his services to the hop industry.
Inglis retired from the industry when an independent Chairman and a full time CEO were employed to lead the co-op.
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