The farm remained in the ownership of the Drapers' Company for over 300 years and became a major producer of hops for the brewing industry, in particular supplying Whitbread.

He expanded the farm and was influential in developing new varieties of hop, including the White Golding which was used extensively by Whitbread.

[5] In 1997, Mohamed Al-Fayed wanted to buy The Hop Farm to stable his shire horses, and another rival wanted it for a rare breeds centre, but Brent and Fiona Pollard were successful in their purchase, at a cost of 2 million pounds, beating their nearest rival by £5,000.

[5] In their first year the Pollands reduced staff from 50 to 14 and suffered a drought, floods, a gas pipeline installation and the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

[7] In 2012, The Hop Farm underwent radical management restructure in an effort to halt a five-year slide in visitor numbers,[8] however in 2013 the company went into liquidation.

Starting in 2008, the festival grew to a capacity of over 50,000 people, playing host to many internationally artists including Bob Dylan, Prince, The Eagles, Blondie, Neil Young, Primal Scream, The Fratellis and Florence and the Machine among others, but after making a loss in 2012,[15] the festival was cancelled in 2013 due to poor ticket sales.