One of our strongest community partners is Growing Veterans— a Lynden based nonprofit that supports veterans through agricultural cultivation. Growing Veterans nurtures and empowers folks transitioning to civilian life; by eliminating isolation, encouraging growth & teaching new skills, veterans have the ability to thrive. One of the most important elements of Growing Veterans is the concept of community, and we’ve had the chance to witness how strong that is first hand.
Aslan and Growing Veterans first connected through a shared passion for organic farming, and our relationship evolved from there. Growing Veterans is now one of the only organic hop growers in Western Washington and we enthusiastically purchase their entire crop every fall. From this relationship grew Charlie Foxtrot. We have now had the opportunity to help pick hundreds of pounds of hops with the Growing Veterans team year after year led by Joel Swenson & his team.
Standing in the Growing Veterans field, talking in depth about lupulin while folks from very different walks of life pick Cascade & Chinook hops under the late September sun, it’s clear that this non profit is succeeding in cultivating community. The Growing Veterans team has created an environment that is supportive, collaborative, and hard working. We have been lucky to learn about hop cultivation and harvest from them, and in turn offer our (sometimes unskilled) labor each fall.
There is something powerful about harvesting a crop and seeing it go from the vine into the brew process hours later— we invite you all to Fresh Hop Forum at The Depot this weekend to experience this collaboration between Growing Veterans and Aslan: Charlie Foxtrot.
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