We grow organic, true cider apples, cultivated only to craft our ciders and apple brandy.
Our Story
As a couple, ours is a personal story. Deirdre, who has three degrees in agriculture, manages the orchard. John manages the business. We began to create our ciders and apple brandy almost 20 years ago on our farm in southwestern Wisconsin. Because the tannic English and French varieties we wanted to grow were not commercially available, we painstakingly hand-grafted these trees that would become the orchard of The Cider Farm.
We manage The Cider Farm organically
We believe organic farming not only benefits the land, water and wildlife, it also enhances the exquisite taste of our offerings and more fully expresses the terroir of southwestern Wisconsin. We hand-pick our apples when fully ripe and press them to juice at the farm every fall.
Of course, all of this takes time and attention. But we expected it would. That’s how it is when you want to make something rare and special.
Would you like to visit the orchard? We offer occasional one-hour tours throughout the growing season. All tour attendees are invited to enjoy the grounds post-tour with optional charcuterie picnic boxes. Visit our event page for upcoming tour dates.
Private tours are available for small groups. Email us at info@theciderfarm.com for details.
Ingredients
We learned to grow the English and French cider apples that we felt were necessary to bring you the quality beverages we make today. These are apples for drinking, not eating, which have historically not been cultivated in America and remain rare here.
Environment
We believe organic farming is not only better for the natural environment, it also enhances the exquisite taste of our cider. We hand-pick each variety when fully ripe and press them immediately on the orchard to harvest their juice.
Community
We strive to make our small batch releases the best reflection of our organically managed apples and the terroir of The Cider Farm in the Driftless region of Wisconsin.
Created by two people for a few people
Our products don’t try to compete with the mass-market ciders or brandies. Rather, we use special ingredients, small batch attention and handcrafting to provide a complex and unique flavor experience. Our standards are inspired by European and American traditions. We are dedicated to our art and to providing you with something special from The Cider Farm. You can now enjoy our refreshing ciders with wine complexity in our Cidery and Tasting Room on Madison’s west-side.
