EDMONDS – Steve Kaiser made his first batch of hard cider 12 years ago when he was allowed to pick all the apples he wanted at an orchard in Wenatchee.
It was just a hobby so he played around with flavors. He added cranberries during the fermentation process. It proved to be a hit with family and friends.
Now he’s started his own cidery, Core Hero Hard Cider, literally in the garage in his Edmonds home. It’s a small operation that can make about 500 gallons a year.
He produced his first commercial product this year with two types of flavors: Apple Cinnamon and Apple Cranberry. He sold the cider at the Edmonds Farmers Market, which proved to be a quasi-market focus group.
“What’s nice about the Edmonds market, people were real vocal about whether they liked it or they didn’t like it,” Kaiser said.
Kaiser is selling the cider at Lynnwood’s Whole Foods and this month, he’ll sell the Apple Cranberry Cider at PCC Natural Markets in Edmonds. He’s also selling his cider at a couple of markets on Lopez Island.
Kaiser, who worked for a cidery in Woodinville as director of marketing about 10 years ago, says he’s starting his own business at the right time. He cites a report from the Impact Databank Cider Report that says the hard cider sales have grown 180 percent from 2011 to 2014.
He said that demand is so high that there’s a shortage of the apples used for ciders. These types of apples are higher in tannins and other flavors making them a poor choice for eating fresh, but excellent as cider.
For his cider, Kaiser mixes regular apples and crab apples grown at his home in Edmonds as well as in Quincy in Eastern Washington and on Lopez Island.
For the Apple Cranbery Cider, he uses cranberries from Grayland that he picked up directly from a farmer. He keeps them in a freezer in his garage, because he says they juice better if frozen.
He adds the cranberries during the fermentation process not only for the taste, but the cranberries also give the final product a blush red hue.
He’s gauging interest in his product right now: “I’m trying to see what kind of sales volume I have this year to see if I need to expand the space.”
For more information, visit www.coreherohardcider.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
