The Cochran Fellowship Program: Getting to Know the U.S. Craft Beer Industry and Ingredients occurred from September 5-18 and took six participants, mainly importers and brewers, to California, Oregon, and Washington for in-depth training on the brewing process and hop production. In the first half of the agenda, the fellows had the opportunity to visit several U.S. craft breweries and discuss production methods and best practices with renowned master brewers. In the second week of the training, the fellows got to know hops fields. They discussed with producers U.S. hops’ quality and potential business opportunities. The program’s primary goal was to expose potential importers to new suppliers of beer ingredients and spread the American brewing culture among Brazilian brewers. In addition, the activity supported Agricultural Trade Office’s engagement with the Brazilian craft beer industry to make the U.S. exports of beer ingredients continue their expansion in the upcoming years. Access the report ‘U.S. Hops Export to Brazil Reach New Record‘ to learn more about the craft beer industry in Brazil.

Fellows visiting hops farm in Washington state

Fellows discussing brewing methods with Gleen Flox, Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis

Fellows visiting Yakima Chief Hops farms in Washington states

What is the Cochran Fellowship Program?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has at its disposal tools to enable technical exchange between the United States and developing countries. After the identification of any issues that may be hindering the evolution of a particular industry, USDA may use one of its programs – such as the Cochran Fellowship Program – to address the issue and make the training program viable. Created in 1984 by Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran, this program has trained more than 18,000 professionals in 126 countries. The objective is to provide short-term training to professionals in the agribusiness chain to deepen technical, technological and commercial relationships between the participating countries and the United States. The Cochran Program also offers the opportunity to interact with government agencies, universities and, the private sector in the United States. To learn more about the Cochran Fellowship Program, visit www.fas.usda.gov/programs/cochran-fellowship-program