A NEW YORK
CIDER STORY
By A. Scott
CIDER & NEW YORK
have shared the story of apples and autumns for centuries. This year, we took a look at it, through the lens of a changing world.
This project was produced in 2020. during a time of great uncertainty in the world and the cider industry.
CIDER IN 2020
Many assumed, in the topsy turvy world of 2020, that most alcohol sales were doing well. But while many folks were self-soothing with sips of delicious drinks, that didn’t mean all alcoholic beverage purchases were equal.
I spent time with 5 New York state cideries during October 2020, during their harvest and pressing season, learning how they’d been impacted throughout that first pandemic year.
Some had higher sales than ever, while others had seriously struggled.
CIDER
MAKERS
Dedicated small-scale producers live lives inextricably linked to their orchards and to the cider they produce.
Elizabeth Ryan of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider is considered one of the first to bring European style ciders to New York.
Autumn and Ezra of Eve’s Cidery (above), juggle responsibilities as they raise their children, while building and running their cider business.
Ian Merwin (right) of Black Diamond Cider, started selling his cider commercially after teaching at Cornell for 27 years.
CIDERIES FIND
CREATIVE WAYS
FORWARD
Every cidery is unique.
Like any small business, each one builds the model that works best for them.
Sometimes cideries compliment their cider with on-farm activities like tasting rooms, pick-your-own apples, and fresh fruit sales.
This diversification can make all the difference in the success of some cideries during challenging years.
In 2020, the cideries that offered outdoor activities saw an increase in visits from NYC city-dwellers like never before.
Providing safe spaces for people to get out, connect with others outdoors, and find joy in a challenging year, turned out to be an incredible business boost. Some reported seeing cabs arriving all the way from the city, even those that were a 2+ hour drive north of Manhattan.
PRESSING ON THROUGH CHALLENGES
New York cider makers are stubborn, savvy, and dedicated to their craft. They press on through late frosts and pandemics.
They continue working in the field throughout a variety of challenges, like many agricultural businesses, but when NYC and local restaurants were struggling during 2020, wholesale purchases were far below average sales from previous years.
In 2020 they pressed, hoping that sales would be back up the following year, to make up for 2020’s losses.
Hard cider isn’t just a historically important business in New York. Over the last decade, hard cider businesses have proliferated in NY state, giving orchards an opportunity to diversify their businesses and make better profits from these delicious value-added products.
These cideries are an important part of the fabric of the local economies, and like other small businesses during 2020, needed additional support many are in need of support to survive a difficult time.
ABOUT THIS STORY
This story was developed, researched, produced, shot, and edited by me, A. Scott, as a one person production.
I spent 2 weeks in the Fall 2020 visiting 5 cideries, shooting multiple days at each location to better understand the complexity of each cidermakers’ story and convey the beauty of their work.
THANK YOU!
If you’d like to see more of my work, please head over to my full portfolio or check out my Instagram for my latest images.
I want to extend a special thank you to Glywood Center and the New York Cider Association for their support and help connecting with cidermakers in New York.
And thank you to the following cideries for allowing me to photograph them and trusting me to share their story.
For more information, visit their websites, below:
