BC Business
The art of making cider is high in demand: cidery staples of the province are blossoming and new cideries are sprouting up from B.C. soil
What began in 1988 as a small farm in the Okanagan Valley has since grown into a flourishing family affair with a variety of business ventures. The Lassers—Alyssa, Nav and Gagan who have been making cider for over 40 years already—are now adding a cider house to their list of business adventures. Based in Keremeos, their Cider House and Eatery—which will open later this summer—promises to offer a selection of ciders and non-alcoholic beverages on tap and more. Flavours vary from apple (the classic) to pear, peach and a rare find—haskap berries—among others.
Based in Gibsons, Banditry set out to make old-school cider without concentrates or artificial flavours. Opened by Kim Scarrow—who previously founded Modo Yoga in Vancouver—and James Armstrong, Banditry uses B.C.-grown apples to create its fermented beverages. With prices ranging from $16 to $28 per four-pack, the business is crafting award-winning ciders on the Sunshine Coast.
After buying an overgrown vineyard in Oliver, Niklaus and Kate Durisek set out to plant over 3,000 heritage apple trees to make Victorian-era-inspired cider. With flavours varying from blackberry sage and cucumber mint to lavender plum, spiced cherry and whiskey, the Duriseks combine art and science to create some signature mixes. Individual bottles start from $9 and the products can be purchased online.
Located in Victoria, this cidery focuses on using fruits that are in-season and preferably sourced from Vancouver Island. With products including cider-wine hybrids like the Piquette Cider ($15.56 a bottle) and Hopped Cider—which has a fruity banana candy flavour ($15.56 a bottle), Junction Orchard and Cidery sets out to supply island communities with unique handcrafted blends. With nationwide shipping—or in-store pickup—this cidery’s creations can be tasted all over Canada.
With a great climate for growing apples, the West Kootenays are the perfect place to start a cidery. At least that’s what Barbara and Alan Ross—the latter is a corporate lawyer by day—thought when they bought an old farmstead in Burton City and began planting apple trees. Growing from a hobby that provided friends and family with cider each fall, the Rosses now produce ciders year-round in flavours like ginger apple, orange bittersweet and raspberry. Found at various liquor stores in the Kootenays, Burton City products can be purchased in Nelson, Revelstoke, Vernon and Victoria among others.
Jeff and Nathaly Nairn’s love for Spanish cider—which they discovered on a trip to Mexico City—turned into Windfall Cider in North Vancouver. The pair experiments with old and new techniques and only use fruits and botanicals that are locally grown in the Pacific Northwest. Windfall’s cider creations are available in cans as well as bottles, and come in a refreshing variety of flavours: think Saskatoon berries meet B.C. apples with notes of honey and almond ($18 per bottle) or a blend of dessert apples with notes of tropical fruits ($16 per four-pack).