Hentze Farm Brewing

Hello, Willamette Valley (and everywhere else),

I’m Patrick Fay, my wife Kasey and I moved to Oregon in 2019 to open a craft brewery on her family’s certified century farm. Since then, I’ve been running a small walk up restaurant (food trailer) on the property and cooking up new ways to create revenue for the farm and preserve this great heritage. 

For five generations, Kasey’s family have been earnest, hard-working stewards of this great farm land. Our children are the sixth generation. Over the last century the farm has had it’s ups and downs. Including having to part with some long held land. Like most small family farms, it has been a struggle to keep going. Each working member of the family maintains a day job to support themselves, and then come home to work the farm stand and move the irrigation pipes, crack walnuts, etc. While this way of life is surely commendable, it is not sustainable.

We believe that the next big step to bolstering the farm’s economy would be to utilize the natural resources (berries, honey, and wild hops) to produce farm to table craft beverages. As this project turns a profit, these funds can be reinvested into the farm’s agriculture and produce more for the community.

Kasey and I met in and worked for more than ten years in the Seattle restaurant industry, and have extensive experience with craft beverages and mixology. We know that with our skills, the natural resources on the farm, and most importantly– your support– we can create some real magic.

We also have been fortunate to form some great connections within Oregon’s craft beverage production industry, as well as contacts at Oregon State University, which are well-known for their interests in agriculture and craft beverages.

At this point, you may be wondering– what more could they need?

We have the agricultural resources, the know-how, the work ethic, passion, and community. All we need now are the funds to get this operation going. 

Your support of this campaign will give our family the boost we need to get this farm to a year-round economy and sustain this farming family’s way of life.

What We Need & What You Get

We are raising $50,000.00 for the purpose of:

$20,000– Construction of the brewery
$10,000– Fermentation vessels, brite tanks and kegs          
  $5,000– Propane system

  $5,000– Canning system and cans  

  $5,000– Graphic Design  

  $2,000– Oregon liquor license and TTB registration  

  $3,000– Labor costs

Supporters receive:

   $100– A Hentze Farm Brewing T-shirt and a pint of their choice of one of the The Cook Shack’s beloved sauces: black cherry BBQ, honey-chipotle barbecue, or blueberry ketchup.

   $200– A Hentze Farm Brewing T-shirt. A pint of a sauce of your choosing. A gallon of The Cook Shack’s bread & butter pickles. 

   $500– A Hentze Farm Brewing T-shirt. A pint of a sauce of your choosing. A year supply of The Cook Shack’s bread & butter pickles.

$1,000– A catered event for 15 people featuring The Cook Shack’s menu. A Hentze Farm Brewing t-shirt. A pint of a sauce of your choosing. A year supply of The Cook Shack’s bread and butter pickles. 

$2,000– A private smokehouse and barbecue farm dinner for 20 people. A Hentze Farm Brewing t-shirt. A pint of a sauce of your choice. A year supply of The Cook Shack’s bread and butter pickles.

$5,000– A private catered event at the farm for 20 people with live music and a specialty menu created by Chef Isaiah Martinez of Yardy Eugene. A Hentze Farm Brewing t-shirt. A pint of a sauce of your choice. A year supply of The Cook Shack’s bread and butter pickles. 

The Impact

Small farms face a unique challenge in this day and age. Corporate and large farms are able to sustain themselves solely with agricultural production and product sales. Small farms do not possess the same ability to mass produce and sell at the same rate as a larger farm, and so they rely primarily on a newer economy– agritourism (visiting farms for the purchase of consumer goods, or to participate in activities on the farm land, such as a hay ride.) In addition, most small farms do not have an outlet to sell their produce year-round (such as a farmer’s market,) even if they invested in greenhouses to do so.

Adding a brewery to our operation would allow for a year-round economy and give us the opportunity to reinvest in the farm and provide more goods and services.

We can then dream about updating aging infrastructure, affording operating costs, and bringing in new farmers that can utilize more of our land to grow delicious food. All of which contributes to what is at the heart of this campaign: upholding a vital way of life and feeding people.

We can reduce reliance on global agriculture, create jobs in rural areas, promote responsible use of farmland, and bring joy to the valley.

Challenges

Surprisingly, the biggest challenge has been working with the local jurisdiction to navigate the slightly outdated laws and regulations regarding farmland use.

Oregon is very protective– rightfully so– of our amazing agricultural production and heritage.

You can view the governing statutes at: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_215.283 and https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_433.745

Oregon’s current farm land use laws limit Oregon farmers from alcohol sales more than 4 times per year and 90 days apart. Without a brewery license we are only allowed to serve alcohol under a temporary license, twice a year, because the agricultural season runs from June-October. This limits our functionality as a venue for things like weddings and concerts– a much needed source of income and a great service to provide. Our brewery would lift these regulations entirely, and allow us to open our great home to the community for any kind of celebration.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you’re in the area? Get on out to the farm!

Buy something from the farmstand, or get some farm fresh comfort food at The Cook Shack.

Another meaningful contribution would be social media engagement.

Like, comment and share on all of our channels.

Please and thank you!