From beer to botanicals: the surprising potential uses for hops waste

Preserve Botanica is pioneering research into upcycling hops waste. CEO Wanda du Plessis spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the company’s groundbreaking findings and their potential impact on the industry.

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In 2022, Preserve Botanica secured US$100 000 (almost R1,9 million) in funding from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s (AB InBev) 100+ Accelerator 100+ Programme for research into the valorisation of waste generated during the harvesting of hops.

Wanda du Plessis, CEO of Preserve Botanica, says hops have numerous applications beyond brewing: “Hops aren’t just for beer; they can be used as a medicinal herb, in skincare products, as a flavouring agent in foods, and even as insect repellent and animal feed. Our research aims to unlock these opportunities and reduce waste in the beermaking process.” But what drove Du Plessis to explore this opportunity with the world’s largest brewer? She explains that she and her husband, Jaco de la Rouviere, started Preserve Botanica in 2016. “I had seen 8 700 clients as a physical therapist up until then and was looking for a new challenge. Combining my passion for people, healing and nature, I turned to the production of medicinal plants.”

She evaluated various medicinal plants and initially thought of focusing her attention on honeybush, because it is a unique South African product.

However, the realisation that most honeybush is harvested in the wild, and the variation this would cause in the distilled product, changed her mind about the plant. Hops proved an ideal fit, as production is highly standardised and concentrated around George in the Western Cape, where she lives. Along with this, she found that the industry produced a lot of waste, which could potentially be used for producing herbal medicines.

“We started looking at possible yields, equipment parameters, scalability and cost through garage trials in 2021, and used this information to pitch for funding in 2022,” she explains.

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