Sunshine Valley Fruit Market and a seven-hectare orchard south of Oliver.


Brown had the best three of his cider blends compared with similar commercially available products by scientists at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland. The three blends which became the initial offerings by Orchard Hill ranked among the top four ciders. Today, Orchard Estate ciders are sold at close to 150 restaurants, pubs and cold beer and wine stores throughout the Interior and Lower Mainland and in the tasting room at the Oliver market.


This past July, Brown participated in an Organic Cider Workshop sponsored by Cawston Cold Storage. He explained the intricacies of cider-making and estimated that the cost of a 195-square-metre processing plant would be approximately $244,000. “Many prospective cider makers have a building that can be renovated for much less money,” he said. Brown also estimated the cost of equipment to process 200 bins of apples into cider to be close to $280,000.


Rhys Pender, marketing


consultant, told workshop attendees, “In terms of retail dollar sales, domestic draft cider shows the strongest growth. Domestic packaged cider has remained fairly stagnant over the past four years . . . this channel (domestic draft) may suit the


production of small amounts of high-quality organic cider.” Cawston growers need look no farther than Sea Cider Farm in Saanichton, the


province’s only organic cidery, to get a glimpse of the potential for the product.


Opened in June


2007, Sea Cider, owned by Kristen Jordan, has grown steadily until today there are approximately 2,000 trees representing over 60 varieties grown on 1.6 hectares.


Production has


doubled in the past two years to 40,000 litres and further growth is anticipated.


SUSAN MCIVER


Bob Thompson shows bins of Dabinett apples that will be used to produce Summerland Heritage Cider's first commercially available cider.


Sea Cider products are sold in B.C. Alberta, Manitoba, the Yukon and Washington State.


Tasting room sales have grown by 30 per cent in the last 18 months. Initially, Jordan focused on European apple varieties known to produce excellent cider, but more recently she has been planting a wider array of varieties to accommodate customers’ tastes for ciders made from North American apples.


Sea Cider came about as the result of Jordan’s fascination with cider, her agricultural


background and her realization that with two young children she could no longer travel and work overseas.


The seeds for SUSAN MCIVER


Summerland orchardist Billy Boerboom has been contracted by Left Field Cider Company of Mamette Lake to grow cider apple varieties. Here, he prepares 1,000 Spartan trees for grafting in the spring.


8


Summerland Heritage Cider Ltd. were planted over 20 years ago when Tom Kinvig began making cider. “The quality of Tom’s cider was variable,” said Bob Thompson, who along with Ron Vollo was invited to sample Kinvig’s cider.


Ten years ago, the British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2011-12


three friends, all experienced fruit growers, began propagating wood from European cider varieties. “All along we’ve planned to produce a European style cider using bittersweet and sharp cider apples,” Thompson said.


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