Roy Farms, NBBA launch Velvet Cake hop blend for fruit-forward beers

Roy Farms did not just bolt four hops together and call it a day. Velvet Cake was shaped by National Black Brewers Association master brewers who visited the Moxee, Washington, farm during the 2025 harvest, tasting and adjusting the blend until it landed at 40% Cashmere, 30% Azacca, 15% Chinook and 15% Amarillo. That ratio matters because it points straight at the job this blend is meant to do: give brewers a fast path to fruit-forward beer character without losing the structure that keeps a hop bill from turning flabby.

The sensory lane here is clear. The blend has been described as sweet, candy-like citrus and tropical fruit with hints of resin and spice, which makes Velvet Cake feel aimed at beers where hop aroma has to read as lush first and sharp second. That puts it in the sweet spot for hazy IPAs, hop-forward pale ales, and specialty collabs that need a polished, layered hop presence rather than a single-note punch. A brewer can chase that profile by blending bags in the brewhouse, but doing it well takes extra inventory, more trial-and-error, and a few awkward batches before the balance lands. A ready-made blend like this saves that work and gives recipe development a cleaner starting point.

The timing is built for visibility. Velvet Cake and a beer brewed with it are set to make their commercial debut at the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America in Philadelphia, held April 20 to 22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. That is no small stage. The conference is the biggest gathering in the beverage alcohol business, which makes this as much a launch pad as a sales pitch.

The partnership also gives the release a purpose beyond the hop yard. The National Black Brewers Association says it is a registered 501(c)(6) nonprofit focused on economic equity and career advancement for African-American brewing professionals and business owners, and a portion of Velvet Cake sales will support that mission. For Roy Farms, the blend also reinforces a story that runs deep in the Yakima Valley: family farming in Moxee for five generations, a first harvest in 1907, and a business that still describes itself as a fully integrated grower and processor of both conventional and organic hops.

Roy Farms is also using Velvet Cake to spotlight Latitude 46, the Pacific Northwest breeding company it formed with Green Acre Farms in 2023 to push hop genetics toward future brewing problems. That is what makes this release worth more than a press hit. Velvet Cake is not just another fruit-forward hop name. It is a practical recipe tool, a brand statement, and a community-backed product built for brewers who want one blend to do the work of several.